| Type | Lemon-lime soft drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | PepsiCo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | 2000 |
| Color | Clear |
| Flavor | Lemon-Lime |
| Variants | Sierra Mist Natural, Diet Sierra Mist, Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash |
| Related products | Sprite, 7 Up |
Sierra Mist is a lemon-lime flavored caffeine-free soft drink, introduced by PepsiCo in 2000 and rolled out nationally in the United States in 2003. PepsiCo owns the rights to the similar 7 Up brand outside the U.S. and therefore has not yet introduced Sierra Mist in international markets.[1]
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Following initial test marketing, PepsiCo first introduced Sierra Mist in 2000,[2] replacing similar soft drinks such as lemon-lime Slice and the test-marketed Storm.[3] The selection of the name "Sierra Mist" was based on favorable market research involving 2,000 people. "Sierra Mist" was selected from over 1,000 possible names. It is worth noting that "Sierra" had previously been a proposed name for what became the original (10% juice-formula, lemon-lime) Slice in 1984.[4] Diet Sierra Mist was also introduced in 2000, and sales of both diet and original Sierra Mist totaled $100 million in its first year of production.[1]
At the time of its launch in 2000, Sierra Mist was only distributed in certain regional markets, due to bottling and distribution agreements between Pepsi Bottling Group and 7 Up parent company Cadbury Schweppes. The PepsiCo bottlers continued to bottle 7 Up until existing agreements with Cadbury Schweppes expired in January 2003, at which point its distribution was expanded nationwide in the U.S.[5] In 2004 the beverage had surpassed 7 Up on the basis of annual retail sales, placing it as the 2nd most-purchased lemon-lime soft drink in the U.S. (Sprite being the 1st).[1][6]
In 2005, Diet Sierra Mist was renamed Sierra Mist Free, intended as a descriptor of the beverage being "free of" sugar, calories, carbohydrates and caffeine.[7] This name change was reverted back to the original name, Diet Sierra Mist, in November 2008.[8] In late 2006, PepsiCo introduced Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. It was only available during the Winter holiday season. Cranberry Splash returned in the fall and winter of 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 along with Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash.[9] In May 2007 Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze was introduced. This limited edition featured a higher concentration of lemon flavor and was only available through September 2007.[10]
Sierra Mist can and bottle labels were redesigned as a part of Pepsico's broader redesign of its core carbonated soft drink brands in 2008, with Sierra Mist Free reverting back to the Diet Sierra Mist name in the process.[11] The Sierra Mist logo was later redesigned again in March 2010 with a typeface similar to that of the current Pepsi design. Sierra Mist underwent a more significant rebranding in August 2010, in response to shifting consumer preferences towards products made with natural ingredients - according to beverage industry and general news media reporting at the time.[8][12] On August 29, 2010, Sierra Mist was replaced with Sierra Mist Natural, reflecting its use of sucrose as a sweetener.[13] Updated logos, bottle labeling and can designs were also implemented at the same time.[14]
From 2000 until 2010 Sierra Mist was sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, and its other ingredients were listed as carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, potassium benzoate, potassium citrate, ascorbic acid and calcium disodium EDTA.[15] Diet Sierra Mist is sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame potassium.[15]
In August 2010 PepsiCo replaced the original Sierra Mist namesake product with Sierra Mist Natural,[12] which is sweetened with sucrose (instead of high-fructose corn syrup) and contains four other ingredients: carbonated water, citric acid, natural flavor and potassium citrate.[16]
In 2005, a series of improv-based Sierra Mist commercials titled "Mist Takes" began airing. The commercials featured comedians Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson, Aries Spears, Jim Gaffigan and Michael Ian Black. In 2006, Kathy Griffin, Tracy Morgan and Guillermo Diaz joined the cast. Diaz and other members of the cast of Otro Rollo starred in the Spanish-language versions of the commercials.[17]
In December 2007, PepsiCo trademarked the names Sierra Mist: Undercover Orange and Sierra Mist Free: Undercover Orange. The two sodas launched under a limited-time release in the summer of 2008 (with the faces of Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway on their labels), serving as a marketing tie-in with the release of the Warner Bros. film Get Smart on June 20, 2008. Sierra Mist: Undercover Orange and Sierra Mist Free: Undercover Orange were both clear sodas, like regular and Diet Sierra Mist, but had a mandarin orange flavor.[18]
Sierra Mist is an official partner and sponsor of Major League Soccer and two franchises within the league, the New England Revolution and D.C. United.[19]
| Name | Dates of production | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra Mist Natural | 2010–present | Lemon-lime flavored soft drink made with natural lemon and lime flavors, real sugar and other natural ingredients.[8] |
| Sierra Mist (Fountain) | 2000–present | As of January 2012, Sierra Mist dispensed via soda fountains at restaurants and other retail food-service locations remains under the name "Sierra Mist", as it has not yet been converted to "Sierra Mist Natural". |
| Diet Sierra Mist | 2000–present | Lemon-lime soda containing 100-percent natural flavors and zero calories. Diet Sierra Mist contains sucralose and acesulfame potassium as its artificial sweeteners.[7][8] |
| Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash | 2006–present | Cranberry flavored Sierra Mist made with natural flavor and real sugar. Cranberry Splash is only available during the Winter holiday season.[9] |
| Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash | 2006–present | A zero-calorie version of Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash made with natural flavors. Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash contains artificial sweeteners.[9] |
| Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash | 2009–present | A zero-calorie Sierra Mist with ruby grapefruit flavors. Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash is made with all natural flavors and contains artificial sweeteners.[20] |
| Name | Dates of production | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra Mist | 2000–2010 | Lemon-lime soda with lemon and lime flavors. Sierra Mist was replaced by "Sierra Mist Natural" in August 2010, although this variety of Sierra Mist remained stocked at many retailers until late 2010.[8] |
| Sierra Mist Free | 2004–2008 | Temporary name of Diet Sierra Mist.[7][8] |
| Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash | 2007 | Temporary name of Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash.[21][22] |
| Sierra Mist Ruby Splash | 2009–2010 | Ruby grapefruit flavored Sierra Mist variety. Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash has been available since 2009, however the regular version was discontinued in 2010.[20] |
| Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze | 2007 | Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze was introduced in May 2007. This limited edition featured an extra bit of lemon taste and was only available though September 2007.[10] |
| Sierra Mist Undercover Orange | 2008 | Limited-edition orange flavored Sierra Mist released in conjunction with the film Get Smart. Sierra Mist Undercover Orange was only available during the summer of 2008.[23] |
| Diet Sierra Mist Undercover Orange | 2008 | A zero-calorie version of limited-edition Sierra Mist Undercover Orange.[23] |
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