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Crystal Pepsi

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Crystal Pepsi
12 pack of Crystal Pepsi cans
Crystal Pepsi Promotional Print
TypeClear Cola
ManufacturerPepsiCo, Inc.
Country of origin  United States
Introduced1992
Discontinued1993
VariantsDiet Crystal Pepsi, PepsiClear
Related productsPepsi Blue, New Coke, Tab Clear, Pepsi

Crystal Pepsi was a caffeine-free soda made by PepsiCo from 1992 to 1993 in the United States, Canada, and for a short time in Australia. Crystal Pepsi was sold for a longer time in Europe. Crystal by Pepsi (a citrus soda similar to 7Up or Sprite) was a successor product.

History

In the early 1990s, a marketing revolution equating clarity with purity began with the remake of Ivory soap from its classic milky solution;[1] the idea spread to many companies, including PepsiCo. Crystal Pepsi was marketed as a caffeine-free "clear alternative" to normal colas, equating clearness with purity and health.[2] Its marketing tagline was "You've never seen a taste like this". However, the taste was not significantly different from other colas; unlike other colorless soft drinks, which usually have a lemon-lime flavor, Crystal Pepsi tasted much like original Pepsi.[1]

In 1992, the product came to test markets in Colorado, Sacramento, California, Dallas, Texas, and Providence, Rhode Island,[3] to a positive response.[2] Pleased with the results, PepsiCo launched the cola on April 13, 1992,[4] and began to sell it nationwide in 1993. A large marketing campaign was launched, for which the company invented the world's first photo-realistic, computer-generated bus wrap printing. A series of television advertisements featuring Van Halen's hit song "Right Now" premiered on national television on January 31, 1993, during Super Bowl XXVII.[2] In its first year, Crystal Pepsi captured a full percentage point of U.S. soft drink sales, approximately $474 million.[5] Coca-Cola followed suit by launching Tab Clear on December 14, 1992.[6]

Initial sales were good, but quickly fell.[7] Pepsi pulled the drink off the market, and returned several months later with a reformulated citrus drink titled "Crystal By Pepsi", but this was short lived as well.[8]

Pop culture references

  • Saturday Night Live created a parody of Crystal Pepsi's "Right Now" advertisements. The spoof, broadcast in October 1993, featured cast members Kevin Nealon and Julia Sweeney enjoying a clear, viscous "Crystal Gravy", while a voiceover said, "Finally, you can see your meat." The spot ended with the tagline "Crystal Gravy. You've never seen a gravy like this."
  • The English dub of the anime FLCL mentions Crystal Pepsi instead of the original Cheerio (a Japanese soft drink). The character Gaku says, "That store that sells Crystal Pepsi... you know, the one Van Halen did those 'Right Now' commercials for!" in episode 3 of the series, "Marquis de Carabas".
  • The Bloodhound Gang referenced Crystal Pepsi in the song "Lift Your Head up High (And Blow Your Brains Out)" on their album One Fierce Beer Coaster.
  • A sketch on the MTV program Human Giant depicted comedian Paul Scheer using a time machine to retrieve bottles of Crystal Pepsi from the past, instead of using it to visit his deceased father.
  • An episode of The Simpsons featured Homer trying to steal from a vending machine a can of "Crystal Buzz", the crystal counterpart to Buzz Cola. Upon discovering the product, he said, "Mmmm... invisible cola!"
  • David Letterman introduced a "Cloudy Pepsi" in one of his fake product skits.
  • Crystal Pepsi is featured in the VH1 series I Love the '90s.
  • Crystal Pepsi is featured in the Family Guy episode "I Take Thee Quagmire", in which Peter states, "It has all the great taste of regular Pepsi, without that troublesome opacity."
  • In the Saturday Night Live sketch "Out of Breath Jogger from 1992", after naming several current events from 1992, the jogger blurts out "Crystal Pepsi" just before the sketch ends.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Garber Jr, Lawrence L. Color as a Tool for Visual Persuasion, p313. Essay included in Persuasive Imagery ed. by Linda M Scott. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003. ISBN 0805842020
  2. ^ a b c Zyman, Sergio. The End of Marketing as We Know It. Harper-Collins, 1999. ISBN 0887309836
  3. ^ Business Digest. The Washington Post, April 14, 1992
  4. ^ "Business Digest". New York Times, April 13, 1992
  5. ^ Janofsky, Michael. "Pepsi Tries New Diet Cola Abroad". New York Times, March 2, 1993.
  6. ^ Bryant, Adam. "Coke Adds a Clear Cola To Its New Age Stable". New York Times, December 15, 1992
  7. ^ Simonson, Itamar. Will I Like a Medium Pillow? Another Look at Constructed and Inherent Preferences,p18 (Research Paper 1977-R1). Stanford University Graduate School of Business, 2007
  8. ^ Brody, Aaron L and John B Lord. Developing New Foods for a Changing Marketplace,p62. CRC Press, 2000. ISBN 1566767784
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