The year is 1993, and You're at home watching Superbowl 27 between the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills. Suddenly Right Now by Van Halen comes on, and you see an ad for a new Pepsi product. What is this new concoction? It promises to be a clear cola with no caffeine, low in sodium, and all-natural. It turns out it was Crystal Pepsi, one of the biggest cola failures since "New" Coke in 1985. But how did it get that way? How did it fail?
For one thing, many people became very health conscious in the 90s with the rise of fad diets and new products for diabetics and dieters looking for caffeine-free options. The soda market was already over-saturated with different products, especially clear sodas like 7UP and Sprite. Crystal Pepsi, however, had no specific target markets. Coca-Cola also came out with Clear Tab in the same timeframe.
They also did not try experimenting with any other varieties of flavors that could have been marketable. This lack of options did not give customers anything to be excited about to run out and grab it. The flavor was also too bland and lacked the caramel color that all Pepsi lovers expected from the brand. I feel like if they had tried marketing different flavors, it might have lasted longer. It was pulled off the shelves in 1995, only to return limited time in 2016.
Did you ever try Crystal Pepsi? How did it taste to you?
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