If you had put money on the fact that Coke Zero would have fallen flat by now, as so many other remakes of favorite colas have in the past, there is a good chance that you would have lost your bet. Coca-Cola is planning to give the zero-calorie brand a big push this year to raise its profile and to try and make the brand a standard choice for cola drinkers ("[build] it into the next mega-brand," according to a company memo), not just an alternative to Coca Cola Classic.

The first part o the strategy is to sink a lot of money into the advertising budget. Coke is planning to spend $13 million on advertising during, and at, NCAA games alone, since its target audience is men up to age 45 or so who want a zero-calorie drink without the perceived girliness of Diet Coke. The company is also planning black packaging, football sponsorships and TV ads on "24" and MTV. To show exacty how serious they are about the brand, Coke is also actively recruiting restaurants to make Coke Zero a part of their soda fountain lineup. Wendy's and White Castle are two that have already agreed.

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.