Pepsi Zero Sugar
Pepsi Zero Sugar (sold under the names Diet Pepsi Max until early 2009 and then Pepsi Max until August 2016), is a zero-calorie, sugar-free, ginseng-infused cola sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame K, marketed by PepsiCo. In Fall 2016, PepsiCo renamed the drink Pepsi Zero Sugar from Pepsi Max. A new logo was introduced in 2020.[1] It has nearly twice the caffeine of Pepsi's other cola beverages.[2] Pepsi Zero Sugar contains 69 milligrams of caffeine per 355ml (12 fl oz), versus 36 milligrams in Diet Pepsi.[3]
Nutritional value per 8 fl oz | |
---|---|
0 g | |
Sugars | 0 g |
Dietary fiber | 0 g |
0 g | |
0 g | |
Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
Sodium | 2% 25 mg |
Other constituents | Quantity |
Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| |
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. |
The current Pepsi Zero Sugar logo launched in 2016. | |
Type | Diet Pepsi |
---|---|
Manufacturer | PepsiCo |
Country of origin | United States |
Introduced | 2007 (as Diet Pepsi MAX); 2009 (as Pepsi MAX); 2016 (as Pepsi Zero Sugar) |
Variants | Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild Cherry; Pepsi Zero Sugar Vanilla |
Related products | Pepsi Max, Pepsi ONE, Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar |
History
Diet Pepsi Max was introduced in the United States on June 1, 2007, and in Canada in March 2008. "Diet" was dropped from the name in early 2009.
On June 29, 2015, PepsiCo announced several product changes which, among other changes, announced that Pepsi Max would be renamed in North America as Pepsi Zero Sugar. The unrelated international drink will retain the Pepsi Max name.[1]
Marketing
In 2007, the official marketing website for the product[4] contained an 'odd cast' featuring a spoofed telethon urging viewers to donate yawns and uses the slogan 'WAKE UP PEOPLE'.[5] Also, there was a featured commercial of a spoof on the Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator yawning, when calling a play, thus, causing Tony Romo to be sacked, he was then replaced by Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones who gives him a Diet Pepsi Max. The scene then cuts away to the words "WAKE UP PEOPLE" while a voiceover shouts the slogan. An ad for the product that ran during the 2007 Super Bowl featured the song "What Is Love" by Haddaway, and showed people sleeping in inappropriate places and at inappropriate times, while bobbing their heads to the rhythm of the song.
For Super Bowl XLIV in July 2010, Pepsi Max did a reboot of a well-received ad that ran during the 1995 Super Bowl XXIX.[6] In the original ad, a pair of delivery drivers from Coca-Cola and Pepsi began a tentative friendship while listening to"Get Together" by The Youngbloods; in a peacemaking gesture, the two rivals taste each other's soda. But the friendship ends in humorous conflict when the Coca-Cola driver refuses to return the (superior) Pepsi product.[6] The new ad riffed on the same story, with the drivers this time coming to blows over the then-Pepsi Max at the expense of Coca-Cola's much more popular Coke Zero, with the song "Why Can't We Be Friends?" by the American funk band War as the soundtrack.[6]
In 2011, Snoop Dogg was featured in an ad campaign around the time of Super Bowl XLV.
In early 2010, Pepsi released a limited edition called "Pepsi Max Cease Fire." It is Diet Pepsi Lime in the Pepsi Max formula, and is being cross-promoted with Doritos Burn flavors. In July 2010, Pepsi Zero Sugar, then under the Pepsi Max name, was once again redesigned, this time to match its global branding. In the process, Pepsi Max began using the medium-sized "smile." The "Max" typeface was changed to appear similar to what is used worldwide, and a distorted blue background borders the Pepsi globe.
Pepsi Max was also advertised by "Uncle Drew" with the slogan "Get Buckets."
Richard Speight, Jr. is the "Pepsi Max" delivery guy for all commercials the last two years, with ads featuring major baseball and football stars, and also with Snoop Dogg and 4-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, who worked with Pepsi Max in 2013 to create Pepsi Max & Jeff Gordon Present: Test Drive,[7] along with Road Trip to the Race Track two years prior.[8] Pepsi Max also sponsored Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne during the 2013 Cup Series season.[9]
Pepsi Max's current slogan in the US is "Maximum taste. Zero calories."
Coke Zero, also known as Coca-Cola Zero, is Pepsi Zero Sugar's primary competing product, which was introduced in 2008.[10][11] In August, 2017, Coke Zero changed its name to Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, or Coke Zero Sugar, as well as changed its taste by tweaking the blend of natural flavors proprietary to Coca-Cola.[12]
Pepsi sponsored the Superbowl LI Halftime Show, naming it "The Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show" with its headlining performer being American Singer-Songwriter Lady Gaga. This halftime show became the most watched Superbowl Halftime Show in history.[13]
Ingredient list
Carbonated Water, Caramel Color, Phosphoric acid, Aspartame, Potassium Benzoate, Caffeine, Natural flavor, Acesulfame potassium, Citric acid, Calcium disodium EDTA, Panax ginseng extract.
See also
- List of energy drinks
- List of Pepsi types
References
- "Pepsi Reintroducing Aspartame, Bringing Back Crystal Pepsi".
- Lippert, Barbara. "Diet Pepsi Max: You Snooze, You Lose", Adweek, June 26, 2007. Accessed July 9, 2007. "A cross between a cola and an energy drink, it contains twice the caffeine of regular Diet Pepsi and a touch of ginseng for the je ne sais quoi."
- Pepsi USA - What's in Diet Pepsi Max? Archived 2007-12-12 at the Wayback Machine, Pepsi USA product information page. Accessed July 13, 2007.
- "Diet Pepsi Max".
- "DIET PEPSI MAX SAYS "WAKE UP, PEOPLE!"appeared" (Press release). PepsiCo. June 25, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
- Fredrix, Emily (19 July 2010). "Pepsi reloads famed 'Diner' ad for new cola war". NBC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- Plemmons, Mark. "Jeff Gordon Pepsi Max test drive video shot in Concord goes viral". Independent Tribune. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- Cherner, Reid (June 30, 2011). "Video: Jeff Gordon takes a Pepsi truck out for a spin". USA Today. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- "Kasey Kahne unveils Pepsi MAX paint scheme". Hendrick Motorsports. July 10, 2013. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- "What's the Difference Between Coke Zero and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar?". August 4, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- "Pepsi chief predicts a challenging year appeared". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. February 20, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
- "What's the Difference Between Coke Zero and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar?". August 4, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- "Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show Is Most-Watched Musical Event In History Across All Platforms". February 17, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2019.