"The first Pepsi Challenge tour in 50 years didn't feature regular or even Diet Pepsi. Instead, the blind taste-test showdown last year pitted Pepsi Zero Sugar against Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. At the Super Bowl next month, it's Zero Sugar that will star in the beverage company's Pepsi commercial, not the original formula. PepsiCo Inc. is running a 30-second spot, which can run more than $8 million, to hype the no-calorie drink."
""We've gone all in" on Pepsi Zero Sugar in the last two years, said Ram Krishnan, the chief executive officer of PepsiCo North America, so much so that the vast majority of its Pepsi marketing budget is spent promoting Zero Sugar. It's not just Pepsi. Across the soda aisle, Diet is out and Zero Sugar is in. Keurig Dr Pepper Inc, for one, didn't have a single Zero Sugar offering in 2020. Now it has more than 40."
Pepsi prioritized Pepsi Zero Sugar in recent promotions, including a blind taste test and a Super Bowl commercial, and shifted most Pepsi marketing dollars toward the no-calorie variant. The move reflects a broader industry shift away from Diet-branded sodas toward Zero Sugar offerings. Keurig Dr Pepper expanded from no Zero Sugar SKUs in 2020 to over 40. Both Diet and Zero Sugar are calorie-free and artificially sweetened, but Zero Sugar resonates with younger, wellness-minded consumers who avoid sugar and reject diet culture. Zero Sugar products accounted for 52% of category sales growth while full-sugar Pepsi and Coke sales declined.
Read at Boston Herald
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