Pepsi Throwback - Made with Real Sugar - My theory.....

[hotcouponmama]

In my quest to limit how much soda I drink, I've stopped keeping it in the house. This isn't to say I've stopped buying it, but I make it a little more painful to do by buying it one bottle at a time and paying the higher cost for it.

Yesterday, I stopped at 7-11 to buy a bottle and saw they had a coupon for "Pepsi Throwback" - made with real sugar. It was buy 2 bottles of pepsi, get 1 bottle free. The bottle has the old style pepsi logo on it.

I bought the three bottles, got in the car, opened one, took a big sip, and almost spit it out! For the life of me, I don't recall Pepsi tasting that way. In fact, it was so much less sweet than a regular pepsi that I thought for a moment I was drinking diet soda.

So, putting my shopping cart econ hat on here, I got to thinking about this today. Here's my theory on why this product is on the shelf.

There's no anniversary going on or other good marketing hype as to why to reintroduce this.

However, I think Pepsi is being shrewd and is going to go after the natural food advocate market that hates High Fructose Corn Syrup. And I think this is a test to see if there's a market to switch it back over in the US.

Sugar is also seen as more sustainable than corn, which is a mono-culture crop. So switching back now ensures market share and availability of long term contracts with suppliers.

It's brilliant quite frankly - I'll be interested to see how it pans out.

[Lucky1307]

Good luck on your quest! I just kicked my 6+ a day Dt Dew habit last week. Hopefully it was worth the week long head-ache. I have had 3 since last Friday but all on different days because I am no longer keeping it in the house. Now to get SO to kick his. SO will drink a Mt Dew Throwback but says it still doesn't taste like the orginial.

[jonnysmomma]

Pepsi Throwback tastes like my childhood...how pepsi out of a glass bottle tasted. I love it!

My hubby and I stopped drinking diet pop about 8 months ago, because I discovered that my son and I have a sensitivity to artificial sweeteners. We also stopped drinking pop completely about 3 months ago, and started having a soda or 2 a week about a month ago. Pop is hard to get rid of....really hard. But I love the throwback...its great!

[hotcouponmama]

Here's my blog post about it - I think this is really smart on Pepsi's part, and I find the whole thing pretty fascinating, even though it's probably a lot of conjecture on my part...I have to think there's some truth in it....

The Shopping Cart Economist

[cody82414]

As I stared at the display at CVS I pondered....

would anyone even drink this stuff?
We all are so used to diet pop when we drink it,
except the two older boys,
and do I want to buy 6 cases of sugared up pop for them???

Free, MM, ecbs aside.
I left the store empty handed

[Lucky1307]

I read your blog and I having a feeling you may have something. I think this might be Pespi's move to a "healthier" pop choice. Hadn't thought of the possible future tax. I personally still won't drink it because I can't stand regular pop.

[hotcouponmama]

As I stared at the display at CVS I pondered....

would anyone even drink this stuff?
We all are so used to diet pop when we drink it,
except the two older boys,
and do I want to buy 6 cases of sugared up pop for them???

Free, MM, ecbs aside.
I left the store empty handed

I've never been able to do diet and there's a whole contingent out there that feels the chemicals in diet soda are worse than the calories and chemicals in the HFCS variety of regular soda, so there will be a large group of the population that embraces this. We'll see if it's enough to get them to revert the recipes back to the originals across the brand.

[hotcouponmama]

I read your blog and I having a feeling you may have something. I think this might be Pespi's move to a "healthier" pop choice. Hadn't thought of the possible future tax. I personally still won't drink it because I can't stand regular pop.

I wish I could kick the pop habit! My kids asked me the other day what "will power" meant and I explained it to them that will power was being strong enough in the mind to overcome wants that aren't needs, and my oldest (10) said, "Mom, how come then you have no will power to stop drinking soda? You've got a strong mind...you teach college for goodness sake!". He has a point there....amazing how their minds pull things together.

I think there will be a national beverage tax to pay for healthcare. And I think it will be focused on beverages with high fructose corn syrup largely because of studies that have been done looking at how much harder it is to lose the fat accumulated from eating products sweetened with HFCS. Now, neither here nor there on whether I believe that...although my ring of belly fat that never seems to want to go away does flatten out much nicer if I'm not drinking soda).

But in the argument for taxation, I think Pepsi will argue that since their products are made with sugar and are "natural", then they should be exempt from any tax.

Again, my theory, but that's how I envision that whole thing playing out.

In the meantime, I need to figure out a way to try that soda again...maybe I'll have to relearn to like it all over again...or just call it a good time to quit altogether!

[cody82414]

I've never been able to do diet and there's a whole contingent out there that feels the chemicals in diet soda are worse than the calories and chemicals in the HFCS variety of regular soda, so there will be a large group of the population that embraces this. We'll see if it's enough to get them to revert the recipes back to the originals across the brand.

Agreed,
but alas,
it's the pull to be skinny, versus the pull to be healthy,

And here in the U.S. obesity thrives (unfortunately)

Nothing like a kingsized Big Mac and fries
to go along with that diet coke

[hotcouponmama]

Agreed,
but alas,
it's the pull to be skinny, versus the pull to be healthy,

And here in the U.S. obesity thrives (unfortunately)

Nothing like a kingsized Big Mac and fries
to go along with that diet coke

LMAO! I've never understood that either - like the diet coke is going to save you from a clogged artery or something! Never fails to amaze me!