Pepsi Blue
Pepsi Blue
Pepsi Blue Type Flavored Cola
Manufacturer PepsiCo, Inc.
Country of origin United States
Introduced mid-2002
Discontinued 2004 (Canadian markets)
Related products Crystal Pepsi, New Coke
Pepsi blue, launched in mid-2002 and discontinued in 2004, was the result of taste-testing over 100 flavors over a 9-month period. Designed to compete with Coca-Cola's Vanilla Coke, it is considered by some to be the company's second equivalent of New Coke, after the much maligned Crystal Pepsi. The flavor of Pepsi Blue was thought by some to be similar to cotton candy with a berry-like aftertaste (it resembled that of blueberries or raspberries to some, though Pepsi itself simply described it as "berry") and much more sugary and syrupy than regular cola. It was tinted using Blue 1, a highly-controversial coloring agent banned in numerous countries at the time. The move to make a brightly-colored version of the flagship Pepsi brand was spurred by 2001's introduction of Mountain Dew Code Red, which had bumped PepsiCo's Mountain Dew division sales up 6%.
Although heavily promoted by PepsiCo (including advertisements by the pop singer Britney Spears and the bands Sev and Papa Roach, as well as in the movie The Italian Job), it is widely seen as a commercial flop as sales remained low. Even with the failure of Pepsi Blue, PepsiCo still managed to post double-digit growth. Also, multiple groups claim to be "bringing back" Pepsi Blue, but are so far unsuccessful.
Pepsi Blue was promoted after New York Mets games during the summer of 2002, where the color blue was one of the symbolic colors of the ball club. Other promotions included handing out free bottles from a Pepsi Blue themed VW New Beetle at popular shopping centers around the country. Jolt makes a similar beverage called Jolt Blue CX2; a blue raspberry soda in a battery shaped metal can with a flavor often described as like that of cotton candy.
International distribution
Pepsi Blue also was
Pepsi Blue Type Flavored Cola
Manufacturer PepsiCo, Inc.
Country of origin United States
Introduced mid-2002
Discontinued 2004 (Canadian markets)
Related products Crystal Pepsi, New Coke
Pepsi blue, launched in mid-2002 and discontinued in 2004, was the result of taste-testing over 100 flavors over a 9-month period. Designed to compete with Coca-Cola's Vanilla Coke, it is considered by some to be the company's second equivalent of New Coke, after the much maligned Crystal Pepsi. The flavor of Pepsi Blue was thought by some to be similar to cotton candy with a berry-like aftertaste (it resembled that of blueberries or raspberries to some, though Pepsi itself simply described it as "berry") and much more sugary and syrupy than regular cola. It was tinted using Blue 1, a highly-controversial coloring agent banned in numerous countries at the time. The move to make a brightly-colored version of the flagship Pepsi brand was spurred by 2001's introduction of Mountain Dew Code Red, which had bumped PepsiCo's Mountain Dew division sales up 6%.
Although heavily promoted by PepsiCo (including advertisements by the pop singer Britney Spears and the bands Sev and Papa Roach, as well as in the movie The Italian Job), it is widely seen as a commercial flop as sales remained low. Even with the failure of Pepsi Blue, PepsiCo still managed to post double-digit growth. Also, multiple groups claim to be "bringing back" Pepsi Blue, but are so far unsuccessful.
Pepsi Blue was promoted after New York Mets games during the summer of 2002, where the color blue was one of the symbolic colors of the ball club. Other promotions included handing out free bottles from a Pepsi Blue themed VW New Beetle at popular shopping centers around the country. Jolt makes a similar beverage called Jolt Blue CX2; a blue raspberry soda in a battery shaped metal can with a flavor often described as like that of cotton candy.
International distribution
Pepsi Blue also was