Diet Pepsi, a no-sugar alternative to regular Pepsi, was the first diet cola to be sold across the United States. It was initially test-marketed as Patio Diet Cola in 1963 before being rebranded as Diet Pepsi and launched nationally in 1964. Since then, Diet Pepsi has become a global brand, with its distribution expanding to various countries. This article explores the history of Diet Pepsi cans, examining their evolving designs, the drink's journey through the Cola Wars, and its marketing strategies.
Early Days and Competition
During the 1960s and 1970s, Diet Pepsi primarily competed with Tab, produced by The Coca-Cola Company, and Diet Rite from RC Cola. However, the landscape changed in 1982 when Diet Coke entered the market. This new competitor quickly became the principal rival to Diet Pepsi.
Evolving Can Designs
The design of Diet Pepsi cans has undergone numerous transformations, reflecting changing consumer tastes and design trends. Here's a look at some key milestones in Pepsi can design history:
- 1950-1967: The first Pepsi can design featured the globe logo, reflecting the post-war conformity of the era.
- 1967-1973: A bold, all-caps rectangular serif font was used, matching the counterculture energy of the time.
- 1973-1987: The can featured a white background with an off-kilter globe. Red accents were added in 1978.
- 1987-1991: The globe and logotype were synchronized, creating a unified design.
- 1991-1997: The globe and vertical logotype were separated. In 1995, a blue background was introduced.
- 1997-2003: A red backdrop with a prominent logotype was used. The logo was enlarged in 1998.
- 2003-2008: The logo design was rotated, with asymmetrical graphics.
- 2008-2009: The logo was reduced in scale, and the logotype was condensed.
- 2009-2014: A smiling globe with a lowercase logotype was placed on a blue backdrop.
- 2014-2023: A bold vertical logotype with a centered globe was used. NFL elements were added in 2017.
- 2023-present: A minimalist globe with an uppercase logotype incorporating heritage elements is in use.
These design changes reflect Pepsi's efforts to stay current and appeal to evolving consumer preferences.
Sweetener Controversies
The sweetener used in Diet Pepsi has been a subject of change and controversy over the years. Initially, saccharin was used to provide a sugary flavor. However, concerns arose in the 1970s due to studies linking saccharin to bladder cancer in animals. While later deemed safe for human consumption, this led to a shift towards aspartame in 1983.
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Aspartame itself faced controversy, with media reports alleging a connection between its consumption and brain tumors in humans. In 2013, Pepsi decided to switch to sucralose, a sweetener that purportedly tasted more like sugar. However, this change was met with customer objections, and the formula was not a long-term success. In 2016, an individual Diet Pepsi with aspartame, called the Classic Sweetener Blend, was released.
Marketing and Advertising
Diet Pepsi has a history of innovative and memorable marketing campaigns. In the late 1960s, Diet Pepsi got its first standalone advertising campaign, separate from Pepsi. The campaign was a major success. Diet Pepsi has partnered with athletes, actors, and other celebrities to promote its product.
One notable campaign featured Cindy Crawford, the famous supermodel, in the early 1990s. In the first commercial, Crawford buys a can of Diet Pepsi from a vending machine on a hot summer day. Other celebrities who have been featured in Diet Pepsi ads include Michael J. Fox and Ray Charles.
Pepsi has always used campaigns to appeal to customers’ sense of adventure and excitement, including in its campaigns for Diet Pepsi. One of the Cola Wars campaigns that really struck a chord was the Pepsi Challenge. The Challenge asked ordinary people to participate in a taste-test to finally settle which drink was the best. The participants were blindfolded and were given samples of the rival colas. They were asked to choose a favorite. Pepsi nearly always won the challenge-no surprise since it was a Pepsi ad campaign.
International Presence
Diet Pepsi is known as Pepsi Light in some countries. While it is generally a low- or no-calorie beverage, the specific ingredients can vary depending on the country of origin. In the U.K., a low-calorie Pepsi product was a huge hit, even before Diet Pepsi hit the market in the United States. The ingredient, called acesulfame potassium, was combined with aspartame to sweeten the soft drink. Most other sodas used straight aspartame, and that one ingredient, the acesulfame potassium, kept Pepsi Max out of America for more than a decade. Pepsi Max was first sold in America In 2007, about 14 years after it was launched in Australia, the U.K. and Italy.
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Innovations and Variations
Pepsi was the first soda company to include a “freshness date” on its bottles and cans, and it put the date first on Diet Pepsi in 1994. In October 2008, PepsiCo announced it would be redesigning its logo and re-branding many of its products, including Diet Pepsi.
Additional variations of Diet Pepsi/Pepsi Light have been introduced over the years since the drink's debut, wherein other flavors (such as wild cherry, vanilla, lemon, and lime) have been added to the cola. There is also a variant that has no caffeine: Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi was the first Diet Pepsi variant and introduced by PepsiCo in 1982. Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry was launched in 1988. Both are still produced today.
PepsiCo and the Cola Wars
PepsiCo was formed in 1965 when the Pepsi-Cola Company merged with Frito-Lay. PepsiCo has continued to expand and grow, and it now owns several hundred brands and factories and facilities all over the world, in 200 countries in fact. The company’s net revenue clocks in at over $100 billion. Some of the big hitters owned by PepsiCo are Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Lay’s, Tostitos and Fritos.
One of the most iconic business rivalries in the world is centered in the beverage industry. The Cola Wars involve Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke, Pepsi and Coke and all the cola varieties made by the two industry giants. Coca-Cola and Pepsi used different tactics to win customer loyalty. Coca-Cola created campaigns to appeal to a sense of nostalgia and family memories.
Current Market Position
As of 2010, Diet Pepsi represented a 5.3 percent share of all carbonated soft drink sales in the United States and was ranked as the #7 soft drink brand by volume.
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