"pepsi" news and stories

Old-time soda aficionados and those curious to try something new have reason to celebrate in the New Year. Pepsi will be distributing a limited edition of Throwback Pepsi and Throwback Mountain Dew.

The Throwback contains real sugar instead of HFCS. HFCS stands for high fructose corn syrup--used to make all mainstream sodas (and lots of other foods, like ketchup) sweet. For those of us (i.e. nearly everyone) worried about calories, do not fear. Pepsi Throwback has the same amount of calories as regular Pepsi.

As BevReview.com notes, this conversion is remarkable news in the soda guzzling world because until now if you wanted a soda made with real cane sugar, you had to buy an import like Mexican Coke or wait until Passover for kosher for Passover Coke or Pepsi.

Pepsi's recently released iPhone application Amp Up Before You Score has raised eyebrows as it purports to help users score dates.

The application, tied to Pepsi's new Amp energy drink, breaks women into 24 category types -- like bookworms, cougars, marrieds and actresses -- so users can "study up quick with a cheatsheet on the stuff she's into, with lists, links and some surefire opening lines."

Jezebel calls the Pepsi iPhone app "completely unacceptable and ridiculously offensive."

[Via ABC News]

If the rumors we hear on BevReview are true, PepsiCo will be introducing what they're calling "Pepsi Throwback" and "Mountain Dew Throwback," both made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, this spring. While most physicians and scientists believe that high fructose corn syrup is no worse than sugar, health-wise (it's the fact that high fructose corn syrup is added willy-nilly to everything from bread to salad dressing that makes it problematic), many people say they like the taste of regular sugar in soda better. I've even heard of people driving across the border to Mexico to bring back cases of their favorite sugar Coke. I, however, have never noticed an appreciable difference, though admittedly I rarely drink any soda besides Diet Coke.

Can you tell the difference been soda with high fructose corn syrup and soda made with sugar? Which do you like better?

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A few months back, I read Lovemarks, a book about the future of corporate branding. Written by Kevin Roberts, the CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi, the book explored the hard-core loyalty that some customers feel for certain brands. As a Crest kid, a Tom Petty fan and an intense devotee of Kosciusko mustard, I can absolutely attest to the power of brand devotion; on the other hand, as a former Ben and Jerry's booster, I also know just how easy it is for a brand to destroy that relationship.

Of course, the ultimate example of a disastrous rebranding is Coca-Cola's 1985 decision to change its formula. As customers rebelled, the company tried to explain that numerous blind taste tests had revealed that New Coke was a more popular flavor. The mob, of course, was unmoved and, within three months, Coke was back to its old blend.

It's worth noting that Coke's originial justification for changing recipes was its competition with Pepsi. Now, a little over twenty years later, Pepsi is investing in a little rebranding of its own, with a new logo and a new can design. Starting in November, the company will be unrolling a $1.2 billion worldwide campaign to launch its fresh look.

Pepsi Co is already a soft drink powerhouse with a global footprint. The soda maker has production outlets and sub brands in most countries around the world. Now Pepsi Co is expanding into the Russian juice market.

The multi national company is spending $1.4 billion on about 75% ownership of Russia's largest juice maker, JSC Lebedyansky. This deal doesn't include Lebedyansky's baby food or mineral water divisions. Nope, Pepsi just wants the juice, thanks.

The deal has to be be given regulatory clearances from the government and the current shareholders will have to approve the spin off of the two rejected divisions of the Russian company. Also, Pepsi Co will have to offer to buy the rest of the shares of Lebedyansky from shareholders, according to Russian law. Other than that, Pepsi is in the clear to expand into the growing juice market to its heart's content.

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