Dive Brief:
- A new Mountain Dew is clearly coming to stores soon — literally, the new soda, DEWshine, will be clear and contain real sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup.
- PepsiCo has made "throwback" products of its sodas before, that have real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup due to consumer request.
- Some are not happy with the packaging, however, as it resembles craft beers. "The line between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages is intentionally being blurred by producers of both," says Michael Scippa, director of public affairs at the advocacy group Alcohol Justice, to USA TODAY. Jennifer Ryan, a Mountain Dew spokeswoman, however, told USA Today in an email, "Consistent with other premium soft-drink brands, Mtn Dew DEWshine is packaged in a standard glass bottle. And, we've used this bottle for Mountain Dew in the past."
Dive Insight:
Considering soda sales are in a bit of a funk, perhaps this latest "throwback" attempt might inspire some more sales. However, opposition to the packaging could certainly hurt the brand's image, not to mention its name likeness to moonshine, despite containing no alcohol. USA TODAY reports Mountain Dew officials are aiming the product at men in their 20s and 30s.
Irma Zandl, a cultural trends expert, told USA TODAY that while craft branding is trending with millennials, craft sodas haven't quite tapped the same market as craft beers.
The Mountain Dew brand received some attention some months back for testing "Dewitos."