Starry, a new lemon lime-flavored soda from Pepsi, is replacing Sierra Mist, the company said.
The new beverage, which comes in regular and sugar-free versions, is rolling out now in convenience and grocery stores. Sierra Mist, which debuted in 1999, didn’t compete well with Coca-Cola-owned Sprite. CNN first reported the replacement.
“There’s a significant opportunity now to give people a choice in an area that’s been dominated by one brand for years,” PepsiCo said.
“At PepsiCo, we are hyper-focused on consumer-centric innovation, and we know there’s a strong demand for lemon lime-flavored soda with the category continuing to accelerate,” said Greg Lyons, chief marketing officer at PepsiCo Beverages North America, Purchase N.Y. “With one product dominating the category, consumers deserve another option, one that hits different. Starry is bright, optimistic and rooted in culture and fun.”
Starry, with the tag line is "Starry hits different," is caffeine free and available in a variety of sizes.
“With Starry, we were able to create a game-changing recipe with the perfect balance of lemon lime flavor and sweetness compared to the competition,” said Danielle Barbaro, vice president research and development at PepsiCo Beverages North America.
In the coming months, the Starry marketing plans include a national TV commercial, 360 digital and social content and large-scale sports, culture and entertainment partnerships, PepsiCo said.
Sierra Mist’s share of the soda market is barely one-tenth of 1%, according to Beverage Digest sales data given to CNN, and the beverage has been declining for at least the past five years. Conversely, Sprite has been growing—and is almost 8% of the soda market.
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