Sierra Mist Goes Natural in Response to Consumer Demand

- With Five Simple Ingredients and Nothing Artificial, New Sierra Mist Natural is Now Available Nationwide -

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Sep 23, 2010, 02:09 ET

PURCHASE, N.Y., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Responding to consumer demand for products made with natural ingredients, Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages announced today that it was transforming Sierra Mist, its popular lemon-lime soda, into Sierra Mist Natural. A recent study by the Hartman Group confirmed the demand for natural, revealing that the majority of Americans say natural is an important driver of food and beverage choices they make for themselves and their families.(1)

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(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100921/MM67816 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100921/MM67816 )

Sierra Mist Natural is made with real sugar and nothing artificial - no preservatives, no artificial flavors and, as always, no caffeine. Sierra Mist Natural is being touted as the reinvention of lemon-lime soda made with only five simple and natural ingredients.

"New Sierra Mist Natural has been stripped of everything artificial and is naturally sweetened with real sugar so that the crisp, clean taste of lemon-lime shines through," said Kristina Mangelsdorf, Vice President of Natural and Flavored Sodas at PepsiCo. "It's a BIG, bold innovation that shakes up the world of sodas with its surprisingly authentic simplicity -- making Sierra Mist Natural a beverage that's in line with the times and consumer preference."

To complement its new, natural profile Sierra Mist Natural also has a brand new look. The updated logo, package design and new light green bottle highlight the product's crisp, clean lemon-lime taste, its simplicity and its natural appeal.

The Soda Nature Would Drink If Nature Drank Soda

To underscore that Sierra Mist Natural is made exclusively with natural ingredients, the ad campaign, created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (San Francisco, Calif.), uses the tagline, "The soda nature would drink if nature drank soda." The ads tap some of nature's experts – rocks, trees and even rainbows -- to express their yearning for the pure and natural ingredients of Sierra Mist Natural and its refreshingly delicious taste. In one execution, trees clamor for a coveted sip of new Sierra Mist Natural, while in another, a boulder dreams about having a mouth so it can enjoy the "lemony, bubbly goodness" of Sierra Mist Natural. And in a print execution, a rainbow would give anything, even its favorite yellow stripe, just to try the product.

The campaign, which broke on Monday, September 20, consists of TV, Print, Digital, Radio, and Out of Home elements, and is a departure from traditional soda advertising, notes Mangelsdorf. "Sierra Mist Natural is all about the reinvention of lemon-lime soda. We needed a campaign that would communicate how significant – and meaningful – this natural transformation is. Who better to testify to the refreshingly natural ingredients of new Sierra Mist Natural than nature itself?"

The brand will be putting a full year's worth of media investment into the fourth quarter of 2010 to support the brand. Television ads will appear in high profile programming, such as Dancing with the Stars and The Event, core programming for the brand's 25-39 year old target consumer. Similarly, print ads are planned for publications including Men's Journal, Everyday Food, and People Magazine, to reach both male and female consumers. Finally, out-of-home elements will bring nature to major cities, with immersive bus shelters and spectacular billboards showing nature's craving for new Sierra Mist Natural. The digital campaign will break later in the month and will bring a new level of consumer engagement to the campaign.

"Sierra Mist Natural is the first major innovation to come out of Pepsi Americas Beverages following our Bottler Integration," said Mangelsdorf. "We know that we have a product our consumers will love and with the support of our full system behind us we know we can win in the marketplace."

Sierra Mist Natural replaces Sierra Mist and is available at stores nationwide in standard soft drink packaging at the same great price. For more information about Sierra Mist Natural, go to www.facebook.com/sierramist or www.sierramist.com.

About Sierra Mist Natural

Sierra Mist Natural is a product of Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages (PCNAB). PCNAB is a division of PepsiCo and offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. In recognition of its continued sustainability efforts, PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) in 2009. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

(1) The Hartman Group, Natural Beverages, December 2009

SOURCE PepsiCo