Pepsi Blue to Grace Store Shelves This Summer
Pepsi-Cola unveiled Pepsi Blue on Tuesday. The bright blue, berry-cola hybrid targeted to teens is expected to be on store shelves by early August, according to Pepsi-Cola North America. Promotion of Pepsi Blue will start next week, says Dave Burwick, senior vice president of marketing for Pepsi’s carbonated soft drink brands.
Pepsi Blue comes in a clear plastic bottle with a transparent label that lets the bright blue color of the beverage show through. It will be available in 20-ounce and one-liter bottles, and other sizes may follow, the company says.
With a slew of new drinks coming to market, beverage makers are facing an ever more difficult battle for space in the crowded aisles and coolers of convenience stores. Gary Rodkin, the president and chief executive officer of Pepsi-Cola North America, says it’s tough to get more space and that there’s “a lot of blocking and tackling” involved to get secure prominent positioning for new drinks.
Moderator Comment: Are movement numbers alone enough to make the decision on what products should be delisted when making space for new items?
New products can be a major boost to a category’s performance.
The reality, however, is that new products require space. It has to come from
somewhere. Most manufacturers are looking for it to come out of someone else’s
space. [George
Anderson – Moderator]