Pepsi Throwback: Why do I get the feeling some Pepsico suit wants this product to fail?

[backscatter712]

I just picked up a 12-pack of Pepsi Throwback - the new variant of Pepsi that's made with real sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup.

I'll get this out of the way - it's quite good. Using real sugar instead of HFCS makes a noticeable difference - it isn't as acidic, doesn't have a slight chemical flavor like regular Pepsi does. It's tasty. Kind of like the difference between regular Coca-Cola and Mexican Coke.

The first thing I noticed was the name. Pepsi Throwback. What do they want us to do, throw it back? Either the marketing shill responsible for the name was an idiot, or Pepsi doesn't want this product to sell.

Also, I noticed the product placement in my local King Soopers. It wasn't in the soda aisle, it wasn't up front where they'd be pumping heavily-marketed products, but it was in a display near the dairy products. WTF? Are they deliberately trying to make Pepsi Throwback hard to find?

Also, when I googled Pepsi Throwback, I noticed that they're only selling it (and Mountain Dew Throwback) for eight weeks. That's it. Get it while you can, and then it's gone.

My guess is that Pepsi's cozy business relationships with big corn are far more valuable to them than sales of a product with real sugar (and yes, there's a demand for it, judging by all the pie fights Pepsico has with stores and distributors selling the Mexican version of their products in the U.S.). Pepsi's business with big corn is more valuable to them than our health as well.

Pepsico's executives are trying to tell us in a backhanded way "You'll take your high-fructose corn syrup, and you'll like it!"

[valerief]

1. Soft drinks offer little enhancement to living and should be avoided.

Water, tea, and juice are the real thirst quenchers.

[Joe the Revelator]

7. Damn kids! Get off of my lawn!!

I mean if you want to go down this route, Juice is one of the worst things you can drink. Its kool-aide with a little bit of vitamins that you'll just piss out anyway.

[valerief]

10. Huh? My organic non-concentrate 100% orange juice is Kool-Aid?

My, my. Who knew?

[Joe the Revelator]

13. Yes, it is mainly fructose and water

You're drinking sugar water and hiding behind your own pretension. KUTGW!

[valerief]

25. So oranges are just fructose and water? Nothing nutritious in them? Golly gee whiz. nt

[lame54]

27. and also $15 a gallon

[valerief]

32. Yep, it is. Gotta pay extra for no (hopefully) pesticides. nt

[Renew Deal]

31. That's obnoxious.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

34. Oranges have pretty much the same amount of fructose as HFCS.

Just in case you were interested.

[dysfunctional press]

22. my doctor agrees with that 100%. juice is NOT a good alternative.

whenever i drink juice, i usually cut it at least in half with water.

but- i DID pick up 5 cases of pepsi throwback today- and after having a can, i'm going back for more tomorrow, while it's on sale.

[Believing Is Art]

23. I'll agree 90% of the time

I drink a glass of light cran juice a day and there's nothing anyone can say to convince me it's not worth it.

[Captain Hilts]

24. I also seriously dilute most juices. A glass of coke every other day - I don't drink alcohol...

isn't going to hurt me or turn me into a blimp.

I don't suck on two litre bottles all day.

I enjoy it served cold, with some ice - but NOT warm with ice - and a squeeze of lime.

It doesn't get any better than that.

[immoderate]

37. I mix juice with seltzer.

I like the bubbles. Mostly I just drink seltzer water. Not much different from drinking water, but again, I like the bubbles.

--imm

[Captain Hilts]

2. They should sell it in the summer when all the stored Kosher Coke and Pepsi runs out. nt

[backscatter712]

5. Ah, yes - scheduling!

You'd think they'd pick a better time of the year to market Pepsi Throwback. Seems they're trying to find the time of the year where they think it won't sell.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Great idea!! :D I only have 10 bottles of K Coke left!!

[Captain Hilts]

19. Use them wisely! We could get only those damned 2 litre things here. Too big and too carbonated.nt

[aikoaiko]

3. throwback is probably a nod to throwback jerseys.

Throwback jerseys are older style sportsteam jerseys and are very popular -- especially among urban youths.

[Cirque du So-What]

4. Reminds me of the term 'atavistic throwback'

used to describe traits reappearing after numerous generations - such as babies born with a vestigal tail.

[mudesi]

6. How Dumb

Yeah, sure. Pepsi doesn't want to make money off their new product.

:eyes:

[backscatter712]

11. Why would the tobacco companies suppress safe cigarettes?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/firms-suppressed-safer-cigarettes-1078207.html

By your logic, big tobacco would never suppress the sales of a product that was better for their customers, and would sell well for that reason, but they did.

There were quite a few inventions - cigarettes with filters that filtered out some of the more toxic and carcinogenic chemicals in cigarette smoke, catalysts that broke down the toxins, etc.

But Big Tobacco suppressed these inventions because if they sold a safe cigarette, that would imply that their other cigarettes were unsafe, and they couldn't have that.

Sort of like now Pepsi is only half-heartedly marketing Pepsi Throwback, because if it sold well, that would imply that HFCS Pepsi was swill (and it is), and they'd be forced to move completely to sugar instead of HFCS, causing pie-fights with the corn industry, costing them a bunch of money. They can't have that...

[tkmorris]

21. Then you have to provide a motive for them selling it at all

Why would they put the product out there unless it's a test run to see how well it does?

Mind you I can think of several reasons, but they are all a tad sketchy. Seems simpler to me to not bother with the 8 week test run at all.

[Hoopla Phil]

8. Bet they ramp up marketing when Coke comes out with something similar.

[csziggy]

12. Here is some info from an interview with a Pepsi representative

I pulled quotes out of the interview - for the entire column/interview, go to the link below.

"This spring, Pepsi and Mountain Dew are inviting consumers on a nostalgic trip back in time by offering special retro versions of these popular beverages."

"The Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback packaging feature a retro look and are sweetened with natural sugar, just as they were back in the '60s and '70s, to give consumers a taste of the past"

"Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback will be available nationwide for about 8 weeks beginning April 20″

Mark Ficher of the Dayton Daily News wrote an article where he asked Pepsi, "what if consumer response is overwhelmingly positive? Might Pepsi change its mind about the limited-time offer?"

Their response? "We'll have to see."

However, per Pepsi, "neither product will be Kosher. The Throwback formulations are not the same as the formulas used for the Kosher beverages." So there you have it. They aren't the same as their Kosher brethren.
http://www.bevreview.com/2009/02/26/official-facts-about-pepsi-throwback-mountain-dew-throwback/

[Cheap_Trick]

14. Since I've been working for Pepsi for the last 26 years, I can tell you a few things.

I ran a route for about 3 years or so.

Since it is a limited time product they usually do not redistribute shelf space for it (depending on the store). We have to fight tooth and nail for shelf space(against Coke, RC, and store brands) as it is. Also, WE don't determine where the displays go. The store does. Soft drinks aren't the only product being sold using marketing displays, you know. Being a "limited time only" item adds urgency to it. (BUY IT NOW BEFORE IT'S GONE!!) We've done many limited time products: Pepsi Blue, Summer Pepsi, Holiday Spice, the Vote for the New Mt. Dew, Undercover Orange Sierra Mist, and most recently Ruby Red Sierra Mist.

I would have preferred the name "PEPSI FLASHBACK" but I guess they thought that would entice Deadheads only :rofl:

Last, if they didn't WANT the product to sell well, they wouldn't have introduced it in the first place. It costs MONEY to manufacture and distribute product.

If you want it to continue, go out and buy lots of it. Lots and lots of it. Have your friends and family buy lots of it. It it's profitable enough, Pepsi WILL keep selling it.

[Sydnie]

20. It it's profitable enough, Pepsi WILL keep selling it.

Unfortunately, that's not the case. Pepsi Jazz was a slow seller in some markets an a hit in other markets (some favors more so than others as well), was listed as one of the top 5 (yes 5) new products (in sales) when it had it's first year review by independent marking groups. They discontinued the product just as it was getting to the point to get recognition and to finally make a sensational profit. They went with heavy promotion of Pepsi Max (marketing, advertising, premiums associated, etc.)instead, sinking more good money after bad into a product that they essentially can't give away. Why did they do that? To compete with other smaller companies making similar products that hinted that it was a healthy beverage but really was a poser instead.

Why are they going with an all cane sugar product? Jones Soda found a niche and Pepsi wants to test the water for that market too.

No matter how you slice it (pun not intended but acknowledged all the same) Pepsi is number 2 in the Carbonated Soft Drink category even if they dominate in the Sports Drink/Energy drink markets and until they find an offering and commit to it (other than Pepsi Max which will always be a dog no matter how much money they throw at it) and give it time to become full grown, they will remain number 2. Coke is now as much a generic name for the category of products as it is a definitive product to the public.

[Q3JR4]

15. Since I don't drink

soft drinks, I think I'll slink slowly back into the shadows.

Q3JR4.
That one guy with the hair who did that one thing that one time.

[AndyTiedye]

16. They Have Noticed The Trucks Full of CocaCola (with Real Sugar) Coming Up from Mexico

I want some of the Mountain Dew version, but these aren't in any of the stores around here.

[backscatter712]

17. I saw Mountain Dew Throwback at my local grocery store.

It's out there.

[ContinentalOp]

18. Yep, I think you nailed it. Reminds me of the Chevy Volt.

"Well, we TRIED to sell a product with real sugar but it was a failure and nobody bought it." :shrug:

[TCJ70]

26. Throwback:

A reversion to a former type or ancestral characteristic.

It's just saying this is how Pepsi used to taste or something like that. Was Pepsi originally made with real sugar? If so, then this is, in fact, a throwback.

[lame54]

28. it's better than the alternative names they had to choose from...

Pepsi-Puke-Up

Pepsi-Pee-Blood

Pepsi-Diabetes

Pepsi-Tooth-Rot

[Dreamer Tatum]

29. I'm sorry, was Pepsi sentenced to make this product?

And you're basing your assertions on a sample of one?

Makes no sense.

[backscatter712]

33. I'm thinking internal company politics has something to do with it.

One Pepsico bigwig saw the sales potential in a Pepsi product made with real sugar, and he gets the ball rolling and starts formulating, marketing and distributing.

Another Pepsico bigwig hates the first bigwig (office politics you know) or doesn't want to piss off big corn, or doesn't want to see Pepsico paying millions of dollars in extra money buying sugar instead of HFCS, so he starts sabotaging the first bigwig's sugar Pepsi.

The result ends up being something you'd see in a Dilbert comic...

[bmbmd]

35. There is a regional product of DrPepper

made in Dublin, Texas, made with pure corn syrup from the original recipe. In fact, Dublin calls themselves "Dr.Pepper Texas". It is quite good, and really invokes the old time soda shop taste that some of us remember. Taste and scent memories are strong, and transport one back to a simpler, happier time. My guess is that this experiment is an offshoot of the popularity of Dublin Dr. Pepper and will be watched very closely by all the Pepsico bigwigs.

[Renew Deal]

30. When is our health valuable enough to purchase or not purchase Pepsi.

I am not anti-pepsi in any way. But this statement is puzzling: "Pepsi's business with big corn is more valuable to them than our health as well."

You make it sound like people are forced to buy Pepsi. They're not. They choose to drink it. So it's really up to consumers, as usual. Now, I have to wonder why they brought this "throwback" product out. And why with that name? I would think that they'd give it a better name is they wanted to sell it. Something to promote it's cleaner mix.

[Fire1]

36. I stopped drinking 'cola' ages ago anyway.

[Politicalboi]

38. They all need to go back to

Glass bottles too. It tastes better in glass. I am a coke drinker but I love me some Henry Weinhard's Root Beer every now and then. And the Root Beer comes in a glass bottle.

[backscatter712]

39. I do indulge in Mexican Coca-Cola from time to time.

Glass bottles, real sugar, much better!

I also recommend Boylans Cola, but their cola drink is hard to find! They have other drinks like black cherry soda and root beer which make it onto more store shelves. In glass bottles, made with real sugar.

[B3Nut]

40. I'm more a Coke guy, but

I'll see if I can find some of this. If it's good I'll try a bourbon mixer with it. :9

Todd in Cheese<burp>curdistan