Pepsi Max, similar to its forerunner Pepsi Edge, is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to regular Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.
History
Pepsi Max debuted in the United Kingdom and Italy in April 1993. The rollout was expanded to Ireland the following September, and to France, the Netherlands and Australia the following December. By the end of 1994, Pepsi Max was sold in approximately twenty countries. By the end of 1995, that figure had more than doubled.
The product remained unavailable in the United States until only recently (The U.S is PepsiCo's native market, and the largest consumer of carbonated soft drinks), where one of its principal ingredients had not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The ingredient in question—acesulfame potassium—is combined with aspartame to provide the beverage's sweetness, whereas some other diet colas are sweetened by aspartame alone.
On 28 May 1994, England's Blackpool Pleasure Beach amusement park opened the Pepsi Max Big One steel roller coaster. At the time, the Pepsi-sponsored attraction was the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster. (Both records subsequently were broken elsewhere.)
Pepsi Max Twist (with added lemon-lime flavour)
In early 2005, Pepsi Max Twist (with added lemon-lime flavour) joined the UK and Australian product line.
In autumn 2005, Pepsi Max Punch was marketed in the UK for the festive season. Containing ginger and cinnamon, the product was similar in flavour to Pepsi Holiday Spice, a sugar-sweetened variety of Pepsi that was marketed in the U.S. one year earlier.
In late 2005 and early 2006, a coffee-flavoured variety was introduced in France, Finland, Ireland, Norway and the UK. Known as Pepsi Max Cappuccino (Pepsi Max Coffee Cino in the UK), the product is predated by the similar Pepsi Kona (briefly test-marketed in the U.S. in 1996) and Pepsi Tarik (available in Malaysia since 2005).
Pepsi Max also outsells regular Pepsi in Finland and some regions of Australia.citation needed
Since 2007, Pepsi Max has been the most popular softdrink in Norway, outselling Coca-Cola.
Pepsi max was introduced into South Korea, Bulgaria and the Philippines during 2006, as well as being reintroduced into Argentina in the spring of 2006 after being phased out after its launch in 1994.
As well as this, Pepsi Max was introduced into Brazil, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the UAE during early 2007.
Pepsi Max was introduced in the USA on June 1, 2007 as "Diet Pepsi Max". Its ingredient label mentions ginseng, and the drink contains nearly twice the caffeine (46mg vs. 24mg per 8 fl oz) compared to Diet Pepsi.[1]
Product positioning
Recent UK/Australia Pepsi Max television advertisements have featured the taglines "Maximum taste, no sugar" and "Don't worry, there's no sugar." Some have incorporated extreme sports and video games such as Motocross Mania in an attempt to appeal to young men (in contrast to other diet cola drinks, which tend to target young women). The British advertising campaign involved retouched versions of the American "Do the Dew" commercials for Mountain Dew (a drink not available in the UK), rebranded as "Live life to the Max".
Coca-Cola Zero, a sugar-free cola from the Coca-Cola Company, is marketed in a similar manner. In the UK some Coke Zero advertising alluded to Pepsi Max, leading to a robust counter-campaign by Pepsi directly extolling the virtues of the concept of "maximum" over that of "zero."
Flavors
- Citron Citron Vert: Lemon Lime flavored sold in France.
- Twist: Lemon Lime flavored sold in the United Kingdom.
- Punch: Sold in the UK during Christmas 2005. Similar to Pepsi Holiday Spice.
- Cappuccino : Coffee flavored briefly sold in Europe.
- Cool Lemon: Lemon flavored sold in Europe.
- Chill: Apple flavored sold in Sweden and Finland (limited edition, summer 2007).
- Mojo: Mint and lime flavored sold in Finland (limited edition, spring 2008).
Pepsi ONE
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On 30 June 1998, acesulfame potassium finally received FDA approval. PepsiCo responded within one hour, announcing the introduction of Pepsi ONE (which reached store shelves the following October). This new variety contained the same sweeteners as Pepsi Max, but not an identical formula or flavour. Pepsi ONE was among the twelve brand names that were considered and rejected when creating Pepsi Max.
In early 2005, Pepsi ONE was revised, with Splenda brand sucralose replacing the aspartame ingredient.
Canada's Pepsi Max
Beginning in early 1994, an entirely different Pepsi Max was marketed in Canada. Now regarded as a precursor to Pepsi Edge, it was sweetened with a combination of aspartame and high fructose corn syrup. As a result, it contained 2/3 fewer calories than full-sugar colas (including regular Pepsi), but more calories than conventional diet/light colas (or the version of Pepsi Max sold elsewhere). The Canadian product was discontinued in 2002.
In popular culture
In the Nintendo 64 game Conker's Bad Fur Day and its Xbox remake, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Conker meets a scarecrow named Birdy, who asks for "Mepsipax" in return for a manual. Mepsipax is a reference to Pepsi Max. In the fictional Borat TV series, a Pepsi Max factory is relatively responsible for the decrease in Kazakhstan's Aral Sea.
See also
References
- Kotabe, M. and Helsen, K. Global Marketing Management, John Wiley & Sons, 2004. ISBN 0-471-23062-6
External links
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Varieties of Pepsi |
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| Non-Diet Colas |
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| Diet Colas |
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| Coffee related Colas |
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