Advertising companies and politicians like to play with semantics for the purpose of changing images. Big soda companies seem to be heavily invested in changing their images this year - with Pepsi completely revamping their packaging and Coke teaming up witt Jay-Z to promote Coke Zero - so it isn't entirely shocking to hear that they no longer want soda to be thought of as "carbonated soft drinks." Instead, they're "sparkling beverages."

In what some might describe as a blending of advertising and politics, the name change represents some social climbing on the part of soda companies. They are trying to distance themselves from their high-calorie, junk food roots, which politicians and other people in positions of power continually hold against them. Unfortunately for the cola companies, soda is so popular that no matter what Coke and Pepsi executives decide to call it, changing the name for the product to "sparkling beverage" is like trying to change the word for "beer": it's just not going to happen.

Pepsi is reworking their image and giving the look of their brand a total overhaul. The plan features a "360-degree marketing campaign", but the first thing that most consumers will notice is that their cans will look very different than before. Starting next month, the company will begin using more dramatic designs on their cans, bottles and branded cups and will be rotating the designs every few weeks to "reflect themes close to the hearts of teens and young adults." The theory is that younger consumers will be more interested in something more visually stimulating than their current design and that if there is a sports or music-themed can, a music fan might be more likely to purchase it. The logo itself will not change, but since Pepsi has only changed their can design 10 times in the 109 year history of the company, this new plan is quite a departure from tradition.

Also in pursuit of the drinking loyalties of the "millennial generation," the company will be running more contests, games and sweepstakes and will be sinking more money into merchandising (did you know that you can buy a Pepsi dress?) and advertising. Different contests and prize-winning opportunities will be associated with the different Pepsi products, giving consumers "different experience each time they buy a Pepsi" and "a passport to the things they enjoy most." Oh, and they'll be getting Pepsi, too.

Redcliff American Liqueur was intended to be the "signature liqueur" of America, the US answer to Irish Baileys, Italian Amaretto, and German's Jagermeister. It is cola flavored, with a "combination of 15 secret ingredients" that include "cinnamon, lime, eight-year-old Virgin Islands rum, vermouth, vodka, bourbon bean vanilla, anise and hazelnut."

The former Seagram executive, Frank Arcella, came up with the idea and chose cola as a flavor that was representative of the US. The spirit can be taken in shots or sipped over ice, as well as used cocktails and mixed drinks, including martinis and (of course) rum and coke.

If you're wondering why you haven't heard of Redcliff, it's because it isn't very popular. New liqueurs have traditionally been slow to catch on in the US, but this one doesn't sound that good, so it's not surprising that it hasn't been a hit with consumers yet. The biggest problem is that it is reported to have a strong "lingering aftertaste" that can't be hidden with other mixers and really puts people off.

The Indian state of Kerala, along with several other states, implemented a ban on Coca Cola and Pepsi colas after the companies refused to reveal their recipes to the government. On Friday, the High Court ruled that the ban was illegal and immediately reversed it, saying "state government had no jurisdiction to impose a ban on the manufacture and sale of [those] products. Only the federal government can ban food products."

Coke, Pepsi and fans of the two brands lauded the decision, but the top elected official in the state said he would attempt to get the ruling overturned.

The New Delhi research group, the Center for Science and Environment, was the original driving force behind the ban and wanted it reinstated, though a spokesperson did say that, since a significant number of food products produced in India contain pesticides, that alone was not the reason they targeted the cola companies. It was "because they account for nearly 80 percent of India's $2 billion soft drink market."

At this time, it seems unlikely that the court's decision will be reversed.

American Inventor Spot did a taste test of several types of non-name brand sodas, not comparing them to the major brand equivalents, but just to see how they stood on their own. After all, you can get quite a deal when you buy the store-brand soda instead of a national brand. With brands from Albertsons and Wal-Mart, they rated each soda on flavor, aftertaste, scent, consistency and design before giving it an overall score. Their favorite was Dr. Bold, a Dr. Pepper facsimile from Albertsons.

The problem with generic sodas is that because they vary from place to place, it's hard to know when you're going to get a good one. Fortunately, they're usually inexpensive enough that even if the soda isn't that great, you're only out about a quarter, but I still like to know where I can get a good one. For example, Safeway Select sodas are always on sale and are very good, not to mention that they seem to come in an almost endless number of flavors (though you might want to think twice before buying the diet orange). It's worth picking up a six pack or four when you have a chance.

Do you buy store brand sodas, and if so, tell us where in the comments.

Imagine that you have been handed a large red snow cone or shaved ice on a hot day. As you take a bite, the first sensation is coolness, followed by a flavor that is somewhere between strawberry and cherry, with a faintly bubble-gum flavored aftertaste. Now, imagine that you take a swig of Pepsi immediate after taking the bite from the snow cone and you'll have a very good idea of what diet Pepsi Jazz Strawberries and Cream tastes like.

The soda is definitely more like that syrupy, artificial "strawberry" than like a real strawberry, but the new Pepsi flavor isn't bad at all, especially if you happen to like those red snow cones. As a point of comparison, the Dr Pepper Berries & Cream is a little bit more subtle, but both are interesting alternatives to the now standard cherry-vanilla colas, though it seems like both berry-flavored drinks are a little too sweet to be something you would reach for everyday.

The highest court in India has demanded that Coca-Cola and Pepsi reveal the chemical composition and ingredients of their products after a study that was released on Wednesday showed that the soft drinks contain high levels of insecticides.

The two presiding justices have given both Coca Cola and Pepsi just four weeks to submit a reply, otherwise the court will suspend sales in India. However, Shreyas Patel, a lawyer at Fox Mandal Little realizes that "no one is going to give away a 120-year-old secret, especially in a country like India. Someone would go and make it themselves."

Obviously, he never met these ladies, who already have.

When we first heard about Pepsi Jazz, we wondered whether it would be able to compete with all the other flavored (diet) colas on the market, since it seemed to be joining the game a bit late., especially considering that Pepsi said its first flavor would be Black Cherry French Vanilla. After all, Dr Pepper and Coca-Cola already have their cherry-vanilla colas in stores. Pepsi pinned its hopes on loyal fans switching back once their flavors were released.

Thanks to alert reader Kristina, we now know that Jazz is in the markets - at least, it is in Boston. She says that not only has she seen the first-promised Black Cherry Vanilla Pepsi, but other flavors like Strawberries and Cream and LimeBerry. She was able to taste a bottle of the Strawberries and Cream and reported that "it tasted rather a lot like cotton candy... but in a good way." Frankly, it doesn't sound all that appealing, but LimeBerry sounds intriguing.

Has anyone else tried these new flavors yet?

Update: Click here to read a review of Pepsi Jazz Strawberries and Cream.

Coca-Cola is hoping that the UK release of Coke Zero, nicknamed "Bloke Coke" because it targets a young, male audience, will help reverse a decline in the sales of carbonated beverages in the country. When Coke Zero was launched in Australia with a similar marketing strategy, total sales skyrocketed 19% in only two months. Its marketing campaign, which included a fake blog and other tricks that were decried by media watchdogs, worked well and didn't seem to put consumers off, meaning that Coke actually has its strategy down well for selling Coke Zero.

Coke Zero is, if you haven't had it, a calorie-free soda that is meant to taste more like regular Coke and fill a gap in the marketplace left by Diet Coke, which some perceive as a girly product.

Speaking of girly vs non-girly, Coke Zero was released with black cans and labels in Australia, but white in the US. Which is it in the UK?

 

All you Tab drinkers out there should get a kick out of a New Yorker story about the love for the pink can in the journalism world. In a recent Talk of the Town section, Ben McGrath quotes several Tab lovers, including Atlantic Monthly owner David Bradley, who describes the diet-cola-loving clique as "a lonely but inspired society." New York Times film critic David Edelstein talks about a keen ability to scan shelves of beverages and find the prized pink cylinder and former Washington Post editor Steve Isaacs even has his journalism students brainstorm story ideas based on Tab. There's also talk of the new Tab Energy drink, but, as long as regular Tab is still around, it doesn't really sound like anyone will care.

I know that it's been a while since our original post about its release, but I finally got to try a can of Dr. Pepper Berries & Cream. Actually, I have to admit that it was the diet version, and not the regular. No matter. The soda really exceeded my expectations. I thought that it would be overly sweet, perhaps a bit cough-syrupy, but the soda was perfectly sweetened and the berry flavor wasn't overwhelming. You can definitely tell that the flavor is raspberry, though, which was a nice change from all the vanilla/cherry vanilla/ black cherry vanilla sodas going around.

Overall? I thought it was great and I'm glad I opted for the 12-pack instead of a single bottle. It means that I don't have to go back out to the store so I can have another one.

This July, Pepsi is expected to release a new line of carbonated, zero-calorie, fruit flavored sodas called Pepsi Jazz. Possible flavors are rumored to include strawberries and cream and black cherry french vanilla, so the sodas are designed to compete with Black Cherry-Vanilla Coke and the Soda Fountain line of Dr. Pepper drinks, which include both Berries and Cream and Cherry-Vanilla flavors. The fruity offerings from Pepsi's competitors are doing well and, though it is a bit late entering the market with its flavors, Pepsi fans will still be looking forward to seeing them when they do finally hit the shelves

The popular "un-cola," 7-Up, is now one hundred percent natural. Cadbury Schweppes put the beverage through a slight reformulation to remove an artificial preservative in the drink. A spokesperson for the company said that they expect sales to increase once the ad campaign publicizing the change kicks off next month, as consumers are more interested than ever in healthy products. The TV spots will show cans of 7-Up as fruits and vegetables, being picked from trees or dug from the ground, but the company will not claim that the drink has any specific health benefits.

[Image USA Today]

 

Coca Cola is now selling 12-ounce plastic bottles of its products, the same size as the classic cans, but conveniently resealable. I have heard heated debates whether the soda tastes better in bottles or cans. I usually prefer Coke in cans to Coke in bottles, because I can't drink the whole bottle before the soda becomes flat. 20-ounces of soda are too much for me most of the time.  If you like the convenience (or flavor) of bottled Coke, but find that the 20-ounce size is too large for you to finish or too difficult to cram in your lunchbox, keep an eye out for these little guys at supermarkets and superstores in your area.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]