Patio (soda)

Patio Soda
Type Diet cola
Manufacturer PepsiCo
Country of origin United States
Introduced 1963
Variants Root Beer
Orange
Imitation Grape
Imitation Strawberry
Dry Ginger Ale
Dry Club Soda
Dry Tonic Water
Diet Cola

Patio Diet Cola was a brand of diet soda introduced by Pepsi in 1963.[1] It was created in response to Diet Rite Cola, which was the first diet cola on the market. Fitness promoter Debbie Drake was Patio Diet Cola's spokesperson; [2] the drink was also marketed as a soda alternative for diabetics.[3]

In 1964, Patio released orange, grape, and root beer flavors. This flavor line was not meant to compete with brands like Orange Crush, but rather fill out the line. Patio sodas were available in the cold-bottle market: grocery and mom-and-pop stores. Advertising for Patio was comparatively scarce; at the time, bottlers were regionally franchised, and related advertising was necessarily local.

In 1964, Patio diet cola became Diet Pepsi.[3] The newly branded diet soda was advertised alongside Pepsi,[2] with the tagline "Pepsi either way", which replaced the slogan "Dances with flavor". Most of the remaining Patio line of flavors were phased out by the early 1970s, while a few survived until the mid 1970s.

In popular culture

The creation of an advertising campaign for Patio was a featured plot of the third season of the AMC television series Mad Men. In "My Old Kentucky Home", the advertising agency hired an Ann-Margret look-alike. In "The Arrangements", they notably used a take-off of Ann-Margret's opening number from the film Bye Bye Birdie for their television commercial.[3]

Flavors

References

  1. "Iconic Diet Soft Drinks Made Advertising History". beverageworld.com. February 13, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Mad Men's 1960s Handbook - Patio Diet Cola". AMC Networks. August 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Diane Bullock (August 1, 2011). "Top-Selling Soda Brands: Then Vs. Now". Minyanville.com. Retrieved June 19, 2013.

External links