| Type | Iced tea, juice drink, lemonade, water |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Dr Pepper Snapple Group |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | 1972 |
| Variants | Nestea, Lipton Iced Tea |
Snapple is a brand of tea and juice drinks which is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group and based in Plano, Texas. The brand was founded in 1972. The brand achieved some notoriety due to various pop-culture references including television shows.
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Snapple was founded by [[Hyman Golden]], Arnold Greenberg and Leonard Marsh in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1970s and later moved to Valley Stream, New York, on Long Island. The word "Snapple" was introduced in the early 1980s and is derived from a carbonated apple juice.[1] "In 1980, the company introduced a line of all-natural juices with the Snapple name, which came from one of its first products, a carbonated apple juice that had a "snappy apple taste." They first started with pure fruit drinks, and would not manufacture their first tea, lemon tea, until 1987.[2] Currently, there are four different types of Snapple: Tea (diet and regular), juice drinks, lemonade, and bottled water.
Snapple's brand slogan is "Made from the best stuff on Earth."
Snapple was known for a popular series of TV advertisements in the early 1990s featuring Wendy Kaufman (the "Snapple lady") answering letters from Snapple fans.
The Quaker Oats Company bought Snapple for $1.7 billion in 1994. The company ran into problems and sold it to Triarc in 1997 for $300 million.[3] Triarc sold it to Cadbury Schweppes for $1.45 billion in September 2000.[4] It was spun off in May 2008 to its current owners.
Starting in May 2009, Snapple was made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. However, in certain areas, the older formula is still sold in stores, but this is becoming increasingly rare.[5]
In 2009, a consumer lawsuit was brought against Snapple. The suit alleges that the manufacturer's marketing use of the words "all natural" is fraudulent because the drink is made with corn syrup. The complaint also raises the issue of Snapple drink names including fruits when the products do not contain those fruits.[6]
In October 2003, Snapple began its sponsorship of the New York City school system, as part of the deal to make Snapple New York's official beverage.[7] The company promised an $8 million per year profit for city schools if it were allowed to sell its drinks, including juice and bottled water, in school vending machines.[7] Snapple was able to acquire the contract in part because New York City officials did not want to encourage the consumption of sodas, which have been linked to childhood obesity, diabetes and are generally considered unhealthy. The Snapple juice drinks, specifically created to meet rules banning soda and other sugary snacks from city schools, are marketed under the "Snapple 100% Juiced!" label.[7] The flavors available under this brand include Green Apple, Fruit Punch, Melon Berry, Grape, Orange Mango, and Strawberry Lime.[7] Although the juice drinks are fortified with vitamins and minerals, they still contain more sugar (41 grams) than a 12-ounce container of Coca Cola (39 grams).[7] Dr. Michael F. Jacobson, the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, called the drinks "little better than vitamin-fortified sugar water."[7] In addition, the concentrates used in the drinks, apple, grape and pear, are the least expensive and nutritious. Dr. Toni Liquori, associate professor at the Columbia Teachers College, questioned the sale of bottled water in schools, saying "If anything, we should have cold water in our schools."[7]
The deal also gave Snapple exclusive rights to sell its tea and juice-based drinks in vending machines on all New York City properties starting in January 2004. Snapple paid the City $106 million for the rights and agreed to spend $60 million more to marketing and promotion over the length of the five-year contract.
Like many popular brands, Snapple has had urban myths and false rumors occasionally plague its brand. Various episodes of negative publicity caused the company to redesign their iced tea labels. Their new design(s) featured a smiling sun and, depending on the flavor, a lemon wedge/peach slice/several raspberries and a lemon tree/peach tree/raspberry bush.[8] In early 2009 the label design would receive another makeover, this time with a somewhat more simplified design.[9]
Snapple also fell victim to the old rumor that the small "K" was either a representation of the Klan, or of an imagined "Jewish Tax" (augmented by the fact that all three founders were Jewish). The "K" on the products actually meant that they were certified kosher.
Snapple initially tried to quell these rumors quietly, but ultimately had to launch a media campaign to squash them, pointing out it would be bad for business to support controversial issues in such a way as the rumors implied. Through a media campaign with the NAACP, Snapple successfully fought back these rumors, although occasionally they are still brought up as fact.[10]
Snapple Top Collection Services is a database, "Global Community Collection", that collects photos of Snapple "Real Facts" caps from its visitors to display as a reference to all Snapple fans.
The basis of the site is to bring together a community of Snapple fans and simultaneously show the power of the internet. In fact, Dani links the personal website links to the caps they submit in appreciation of their submission. The goal is to collect all of the "Real Facts" ever printed.[11]
The NBC sitcom Seinfeld featured Snapple several times during the 9 season run of the show. Perhaps the most famous example is in the Season 4 Episode 'The Visa'. The storyline of the episode revolves around the deportation of the character Babu Bhatt, played by Brian George. When Babu is unfortunately deported, his brother arrives at Jerry Seinfeld's apartment. Elaine Benes offers him a Snapple, to which he replies, "No, too fruity". This was a directorial comment on the criticism that Seinfeld received for product placement.
NBC's 30 Rock included Snapple in the episode "Jack-Tor" dedicated to product placement, where television writer Liz Lemon argued against including GE’s products in the show.
Liz : “We’re not compromising the integrity of the show to sell…”
Pete: “Wow, this is Diet Snapple?”
Liz : “I know. It tastes just like regular Snapple, doesn’t it?”
Frank: “You should try pomegranate. It’s amazing.”
Cerie: “I only date guys who drink Snapple.”
Jack: “Look, we all love Snapple. Lord knows I do.”
The show even featured someone dressed in a Snapple suit asking where HR was located. Furthermore, when that episode aired, an actual commercial for Snapple was shown during the break after that scene aired.
In May 2010, a new commercial came out with Pandas talking as humans speaking about Snapple tea. There is a controversy about racism and a possible rip-off of another commercial about Chinese food with talking pandas.[12]
On May 16, 2010, on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice season finale, Bret Michaels and Holly Robinson Peete have to create a new flavor for Snapple, 30-second commercial, and 3-page advertorial.
In March 2011 on The Amazing Race (Season 18 Episode 6) upon completing the Roadblock, teams were given a Snapple bottle and were left to figure out that their next clue was printed on the inside of the lid. Upon reaching the Tiwari Tea Stall, teams traded the bottle for their next clue. And in the pit stop they were told that the bottle was actually a Snapple bottle.
In September 2011, Maroon 5 created a limited release flavor called 'Tea Will Be Loved'. The drink is a 5 fruit mash-up in support of the charity Feeding America.
In 2007, Snapple opened the Snapple Theater Center on 50th Street and Broadway in the heart of New York City's theater district. It has two theaters, one of which is a traditional theater, the other a thrust stage which can house plays. The center also includes a 40x50 ft rehearsal space which is available for rent. The theaters are considered Off-Broadway because of their low seating capacities.
