NEW YORK – When it comes to the calories in diet soda, Dr Pepper thinks 10 is the new zero.
Starting next month, the country’s No. 3 soft drink company plans to roll out 10-calorie versions of five of its biggest soda brands: 7-Up, Sunkist, Canada Dry, RC Cola and A&W Root Beer. The drinks are an extension of Dr Pepper Ten, which was launched last year as a better-tasting alternative for men who don’t like the image or taste of diet soda.
But the new 10-calories sodas are being marketed to both men and women.
Unlike traditional diet sodas that use only artificial sweeteners and have zero calories, Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. says its 10-calorie sweetener mix has just enough high-fructose corn syrup to overcome any reservations people might have about the weak or cloying taste of diet drinks. And by taking away most the calories – a can of regular typically has about 150 calories – the company is washing away much of the guilt.
Dr Pepper isn’t alone in trying to redefine the image of diet soda. With soda frequently blamed for fueling obesity rates, executives at Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are also convinced that producing better-tasting diet sodas can reverse a decline in overall soda consumption that began in 1998. That’s despite the growing number of options soft drinks are competing with in the beverage aisle, such as flavored waters, sports drinks and teas.
The new drinks will hit shelves nationwide at select outlets in January, and the company says one of its biggest ever national ad campaigns will follow in March. Rather than singling out men, the ads for the new drinks will target both sexes.
One TV ad shows a couple who can’t agree on anything until discovering 7-Up with 10 calories.
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