Everything about Pepsi Max totally explained
Pepsi Max, similar to its forerunner
Pepsi Edge, is a low-
calorie,
sugar-free
cola, marketed by
PepsiCo as an alternative to regular
Pepsi and
Diet Pepsi.
History
Pepsi Max debuted in the
United Kingdom and
Italy in April 1993. The rollout was expanded to
Ireland the following September, and to
France, the
Netherlands and
Australia the following December. By the end of 1994, Pepsi Max was sold in approximately twenty countries. By the end of 1995, that figure had more than doubled.
The product remained unavailable in the
United States until only recently (The U.S is PepsiCo's native market, and the largest consumer of carbonated
soft drinks), where one of its principal ingredients hadn't yet been approved by the
Food and Drug Administration. The ingredient in question—
acesulfame potassium—is combined with
aspartame to provide the beverage's sweetness, whereas some other diet colas are sweetened by aspartame alone.
On
28 May 1994,
England's
Blackpool Pleasure Beach amusement park opened the
Pepsi Max Big One steel
roller coaster. At the time, the Pepsi-sponsored attraction was the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster. (Both records subsequently were broken elsewhere.)
In early 2005, Pepsi Max Twist (with added
lemon-
lime flavour) joined the
UK and Australian product line.
In autumn 2005, Pepsi Max Punch was marketed in the UK for the festive season. Containing ginger and cinnamon, the product was similar in flavour to
Pepsi Holiday Spice, a sugar-sweetened variety of Pepsi that was marketed in the U.S. one year earlier.
In late 2005 and early 2006, a coffee-flavoured variety was introduced in France,
Finland, Ireland,
Norway and the UK. Known as
Pepsi Max Cappuccino (
Pepsi Max Coffee Cino in the UK), the product is predated by the similar
Pepsi Kona (briefly
test-marketed in the U.S. in 1996) and
Pepsi Tarik (available in
Malaysia since 2005).
Pepsi Max also outsells regular Pepsi in Finland and some regions of Australia.
Pepsi max was introduced into
South Korea,
Bulgaria and the
Philippines during 2006, as well as being reintroduced into Argentina in the spring of 2006 after being phased out after its launch in 1994.
As well as this, Pepsi Max was introduced into
Brazil,
Egypt,
Jordan,
Lebanon and the
UAE during early 2007.
Pepsi Max was introduced in the
USA on June 1, 2007 as "
Diet Pepsi Max". Its ingredient label mentions ginseng, and the drink contains nearly twice the caffeine (46mg vs. 24mg per 8 fl oz) compared to Diet Pepsi.
Product positioning
Recent UK/Australia Pepsi Max television advertisements have featured the taglines "Maximum taste, no sugar" and "Don't worry, there's no sugar." Some have incorporated
extreme sports and video games such as
Motocross Mania in an attempt to appeal to young men (in contrast to other diet cola drinks, which tend to target young women). The British advertising campaign involved retouched versions of the American "Do the Dew" commercials for
Mountain Dew (a drink not available in the UK), rebranded as "Live life to the Max".
Coca-Cola Zero, a sugar-free cola from
the Coca-Cola Company, is marketed in a similar manner. In the UK some Coke Zero advertising alluded to Pepsi Max, leading to a robust counter-campaign by Pepsi directly extolling the virtues of the concept of "maximum" over that of "zero."
Flavors
» Citron Citron Vert: Lemon Lime flavored sold in France.
Twist: Lemon Lime flavored sold in the United Kingdom.
» Punch: Sold in the UK during Christmas 2005. Similar to Pepsi Holiday Spice.
Cappuccino : Coffee flavored briefly sold in Europe.
» Cool Lemon: Lemon flavored sold in Europe.
Chill: Apple flavored sold in Sweden and Finland (limited edition, summer 2007).
» Mojo: Mint and lime flavored sold in Finland (limited edition, spring 2008).
Pepsi ONE
On
30 June 1998,
acesulfame potassium finally received FDA approval. PepsiCo responded within one hour, announcing the introduction of Pepsi ONE (which reached store shelves the following October). This new variety contained the same sweeteners as Pepsi Max, but not an identical formula or flavour.
Pepsi ONE was among the twelve brand names that were considered and rejected when creating Pepsi Max.
In early 2005, Pepsi ONE was revised, with
Splenda brand
sucralose replacing the aspartame ingredient.
Canada's Pepsi Max
Beginning in early 1994, an entirely different Pepsi Max was marketed in
Canada. Now regarded as a precursor to
Pepsi Edge, it was sweetened with a combination of aspartame and
high fructose corn syrup. As a result, it contained 2/3 fewer calories than full-sugar colas (including regular Pepsi), but more calories than conventional diet/light colas (or the version of Pepsi Max sold elsewhere). The Canadian product was discontinued in 2002.
In popular culture
In the
Nintendo 64 game
Conker's Bad Fur Day and its
Xbox remake,,
Conker meets a scarecrow named Birdy, who asks for "Mepsipax" in return for a manual. Mepsipax is a reference to Pepsi Max.
In the fictional
Borat TV series, a Pepsi Max factory is relatively responsible for the decrease in
Kazakhstan's
Aral Sea.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Pepsi Max'.
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