Fan Fervor Catapults Diet Mountain Dew® to Billion Dollar Brand Status

Passionate consumers and innovative marketing help Diet DEW® sales surpass billion dollar mark in 2011

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Jan 31, 2012, 10:30 ET

PURCHASE, N.Y., Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Diet Mountain Dew^® (Diet DEW) has grown to more than $1 billion in annual retail sales, solidifying its position as one of the world's favorite beverages in the growing Diet category.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120131/NY43746)

The milestone makes Diet DEW PepsiCo's (NYSE: PEP) 20^th billion dollar brand and the eighth carbonated soft drink brand to reach the billion dollar brand landmark. Diet DEW joins fellow beverage brands Brisk^® and Starbucks^®, which also passed the $1 billion mark in 2011, increasing PepsiCo's portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands to 22.

In the tradition of the Mountain Dew^® trademark, growth of the passionate Diet Mountain Dew fan base along with the brand's distinctive marketing initiatives have helped volume to more than double in the past 10 years, propelling Diet DEW to this milestone.

First introduced in 1988, Diet Mountain Dew has provided the devoted fan base of DEW drinkers who crave the one-of-a-kind citrus taste of Mountain Dew with a low-calorie alternative. While the DEW trademark has further expanded its flavor portfolio, Diet DEW has followed suit by offering fans new permanent and limited time only diet flavors over the years, such as Diet Mtn Dew Code Red^®.

The brand has also stayed true to the DEW tradition of fan-focused marketing with programs such as last year's FanDEWmonium Diet DEW Challenge, which engaged fans to sample eight new flavors in a bracket-style showdown and select their favorite flavor of Diet DEW. Fans will see Diet Mtn Dew Supernova^® – the winner of the competition – return to store shelves for a limited time early this year.

Having passed the billion dollar mark, Diet DEW plans to continue its route to the top in 2012, kicking-off with exciting partnerships with ESPN personalities through its "Fuel the Frenzy" program, as well as primary sponsorship of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s No. 88 car. Earnhardt will be showcasing his love for Diet DEW while driving his branded car at the Daytona 500 this February.

"Diet DEW surpassing the billion dollar mark is really a nod to the unparalleled passion and support of our fan base," said Brett O'Brien, vice president marketing, Mountain Dew. "We have some super cool marketing programs planned for this year. We're excited to continue to work with our loyal fans and see even more Diet DEW growth on the horizon."

Watch the brand celebrate this milestone by taking an epic spin in Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s No. 88 car: http://youtu.be/vZgIbWTEoMA

About Diet Mountain Dew

Diet Mountain Dew shows fans offers consumers the one-of-a-kind citrus taste of Mountain Dew without the calories. In addition to original Mountain Dew^® and Diet Mountain Dew^®, the permanent DEW product line includes Mountain Dew Code Red^®, Mountain Dew Livewire^®, Mountain Dew Throwback^®, Mountain Dew Voltage^® and Mountain Dew White Out^®.

For more information, check out www.mountaindew.com or www.facebook.com/DietDew or on twitter @mtn_dew.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 22 different product lines that generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales each. Our main businesses -- Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi Cola -- also make hundreds of other enjoyable foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. With net revenues of approximately $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment, including by conserving energy and water usage, and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support, and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

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CONTACT:

Andrea Foote
PepsiCo Beverages Americas
(914) 253-2628
[email protected]

Andrea Kurtz
Ruder Finn, Inc.
(212) 583-2725
[email protected]

SOURCE PepsiCo