Anyone who has stocked a cooler in recent months realizes that PepsiCo has undertaken some major rebranding initiatives this year, revamping everything from the “smile” on the side of Pepsi cans to the squeezable cap on the Tropicana carton to turning the Gatorade lightning bolt into the search for “G.”
But other changes are in the pipeline for the pop people from Purchase, including the use of stevia-dreived sweeteners across their entire portfolio and increases in functional characteristics for several major products.
Many of the functional ideas are heading for the Gatorade family, including the use of fiber in Propel fitness water – a brand that has been shuffled off to the side a bit by the introduction of half-calorie Gatorade brand G2 and the reinvigoration of SoBe Lifewater – and the injection of concentration-enhancing L-Theanine into the Gatorade Tiger family of products.
Additionally, recent high-end acquisition Naked Juice will receive a facelift from Peter Arnell, whose agency is also responsible for remaking the Tropicana carton and creating the “Squeeze” campaign.
Part of the revamp of Tropicana includes the forthcoming launch of stevia-sweetened, half-calorie Trop50, a product that demonstrates just how excited executives at the company are about the just-approved sweetener.
"We’re looking at Stevia across the entire portfolio," Massimo d’Amore, chief executive officer of PepsiCo Americas Beverages told BevNET. "Right now in the U.S., stevia is the best option we have for a zero calorie natural sweetener…. Over time there might be other technical solutions we might be able to tap, but for right now for the next year or so, stevia is at the forefront of our innovation."
Stevia's growing influence is only one of the changes taking place in the portfolio, however. Each brand will be tinkered with in turn, according to Dave Berwick, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer.
Other changes will be coming to Izze and other carbonated brands, he added, including Mug root beer; Mountain Dew will also see a logo change.
As for other functional products, according to Berwick, there’s still a lot of space in energy. So be ready.