Pepsi Next (stylized as pepsi next or pepsi NEXT) is a discontinued
cola
Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imita ...
-flavored
carbonated soft drink
A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a s ...
produced by
PepsiCo
PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...
. It was a variant of the
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
cola range.
In some markets it was sweetened with
high fructose corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also known as glucose–fructose, isoglucose and glucose–fructose syrup, is a sweetener made from corn starch. As in the production of conventional corn syrup, the starch is broken down into glucose by enzym ...
,
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
,
acesulfame potassium, and
sucralose
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener and sugar substitute. The majority of ingested sucralose is not broken down by the body, so it is noncaloric. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number E955. It is produced by chlorination of ...
, and marketed toward drinkers of full-calorie Pepsi, and those who do not enjoy the taste of
Diet Pepsi
Diet Pepsi is a diet carbonated cola soft drink produced by PepsiCo, introduced in 1964 as a variant of Pepsi with no sugar. First test marketed in 1963 under the name Patio Diet Cola, it was re-branded as ''Diet Pepsi'' the following year, becom ...
,
Pepsi ONE,
Pepsi Max
Pepsi Max (also known as Pepsi Black in some countries) is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi. Pepsi Max is still available primarily in Asian and European markets. While Pepsi Max was ...
, and other diet colas.
On June 25, 2013, PepsiCo informed their
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
readers that the new formulation of Pepsi Next no longer contained
aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial non-saccharide sweetener 200 times sweeter than sucrose and is commonly used as a sugar substitute in foods and beverages. It is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide with the trade names ...
, the artificial sweetener used in many diet soft drinks including Diet Pepsi, hence some bottles sold in the U.S. read 'aspartame free'. However, the continued presence of acesulfame potassium means this version of the product still contained artificial sweeteners.
In other marketing areas, including
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, where it was marketed as having "30% less sugar", Pepsi Next was sweetened using an extract from
stevia
Stevia () is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute derived from the leaves of the plant species ''Stevia rebaudiana'', native to Paraguay and Brazil.
The active compounds are steviol glycosides (mainly stevioside and rebaudioside), which h ...
and had no artificial sweeteners.
Creation
Pepsi Edge
PepsiCo has produced a number of variations on its primary cola, Pepsi, over the years, including the following:
Regular Varieties North America
Europe
Japan
*Pepsi Carnival: A tropical fruit-flavored Pepsi available in Japan for a l ...
, Pepsi's first mid-calorie cola, was introduced in 2004, and discontinued only two years later. PepsiCo, towards the end of the 2000s found new interest in mid-calorie beverages, and then released G2, a version of Gatorade with less than half the calories, and in the year 2011, Trop50, a juice blend, with 50% the calories of regular juice.
In September 2007, PepsiCo filed for trademarks in the
US Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency in the United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark ...
, for "Pepsi Next", and "Diet Pepsi Next".
In 2010, PepsiCo began to test Pepsi Next via market research groups. In June 2011, PepsiCo announced that Pepsi Next was going to be moved into two test markets,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...
, and
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...
. After testing, on February 27, 2012, PepsiCo announced the launch of Pepsi Next.
In the Australian market, Pepsi Next was bottled by
Schweppes Australia
Schweppes Australia is the non-alcohol business of Asahi Breweries operating in Australia, having arrived in the country in 1850. In 1877, the first factory was built in Sydney. After an international merger with Cadbury in 1969, forming Cadb ...
and is sweetened by
stevia
Stevia () is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute derived from the leaves of the plant species ''Stevia rebaudiana'', native to Paraguay and Brazil.
The active compounds are steviol glycosides (mainly stevioside and rebaudioside), which h ...
which reduces the sugar content by 30% compared to regular Pepsi. Pepsi Next was first introduced in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in March 2013, and in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
in March 2014. Stevia extract is used in all three markets.
Reception and taste
One site stated that, ''Although it contains three artificial sweeteners and has 60 percent fewer calories than regular Pepsi, it's really hard to taste anything "diet" about Pepsi Next. But it's not quite like regular Pepsi; it's less syrupy and smoother. There are also differences in flavor between Pepsi Next and original Pepsi. I thought Pepsi Next had a slightly stronger cola flavor and, for some reason, my taste buds perceived a hint of lemon.''
According to the BevReview, the initial taste of Pepsi Next is similar to original Pepsi, but this is followed by the less pleasant taste of artificial sweeteners.
Marketing
After the launch of Pepsi Next, a
television commercial
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
was launched that depicted a young couple, enjoying Pepsi Next.
Eva Longoria
Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón ( Longoria; March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, and director. After a number of guest roles on several television series, she was recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytime ...
,
Paula Patton
Paula Maxine Patton (born December 5, 1975) is an American actress and producer. Patton made her feature film debut in the 2005 comedy '' Hitch'', and has had starring roles in the films ''Déjà Vu'' (2006), '' Precious'' (2009), '' Jumping th ...
, and
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
all have featured in advertisements for Pepsi Next. Paula Patton has filmed a television commercial for Pepsi Next, as has
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
.
A series of Internet and print ads were made, with a picture of a can of Pepsi Next, with the words: ''Real Cola Taste, 60% Less Sugar, Drink It To Believe It.''
In the 2013 Super Bowl, Pepsi used its advertising minutes right before the halftime show (which featured Beyonce, a "brand ambassador" for Pepsi) to advertise Pepsi Next. The presentation by Pepsi (the halftime show plus the advertising) was unique in that it featured photos of Pepsi customers. Pepsi had asked customers to send in photos before the Super Bowl.
See also
*
Pepsi Edge
PepsiCo has produced a number of variations on its primary cola, Pepsi, over the years, including the following:
Regular Varieties North America
Europe
Japan
*Pepsi Carnival: A tropical fruit-flavored Pepsi available in Japan for a l ...
The mid-calorie cola that preceded Pepsi Next, was considered a failure, and was discontinued after two years
*
Diet Pepsi
Diet Pepsi is a diet carbonated cola soft drink produced by PepsiCo, introduced in 1964 as a variant of Pepsi with no sugar. First test marketed in 1963 under the name Patio Diet Cola, it was re-branded as ''Diet Pepsi'' the following year, becom ...
The original diet cola version of Pepsi
*
Pepsi Max
Pepsi Max (also known as Pepsi Black in some countries) is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi. Pepsi Max is still available primarily in Asian and European markets. While Pepsi Max was ...
A highly caffeinated diet cola.
*
Pepsi ONE A different diet cola, with one calorie and sweetened with
Splenda
Splenda is a global brand of sugar substitutes and reduced-calorie food products. While the company is known for its original formulation containing sucralose, it also manufactures items using natural sweeteners such as stevia, monk fruit and ...
References
External links
Pepsi Next on FacebookBevReview Review of Pepsi NextPepsi Official Website
{{PepsiCo
PepsiCo cola brands
Products introduced in 2012
Products and services discontinued in 2015
Discontinued soft drinks