PepsiCo Canada has gingerly released a new product it hopes will put some fizz into sales.
Late last month the company announced the launch of Pepsi Ginger Cola, made with real ginger.
PepsiCo Canada declined to comment, and the drink has yet to appear on its website.
The launch was announced via the company’s Twitter account and Facebook page on March 30, and a 15-second spot promoting the drink was posted to YouTube two days later.
The ad shows a teenager stocking a Pepsi Ginger Cola display in the centre of a grocery store’s produce department.
“Pepsi Ginger doesn’t go in the produce aisle—it goes in the beverage aisle,” says his manager. But, after taking a sip of the beverage, he tells the stock boy to “carry on.”
The 355-ml cans contain what Pepsi calls “a delicious and unexpected flavour combination, made with real ginger.”
In the U.S., Pepsi released a similar product with a craft twist.
The soda company’s new 1893 Original Cola and 1893 Ginger Cola pay homage to its founding year. Similar to Pepsi Canada touting “real ginger” in its product, the U.S. beverage boasts “natural kola nut extract.”
“All the data is in, and soft drink sales are way down,” says Darren Dahl, a marketing professor and senior associate dean at the University of British Columbia. “All the growth now is in drinks with healthy, clean ingredients like cane sugar and coconut water.”
He says using ginger in cola now seems astute since “ginger falls nicely into the health ingredient category.”
He cautions, however, that the success of any new take on a popular soft drink lies in the taste.
“The value proposition might not be what people expect when they buy a Pepsi cola,” says Dahl. “Making changes is hard when you’re entrenched and known for something specific.”
This story originally appeared at CanadianGrocer.com.
