Diet Pepsi

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Diet Pepsi

Type	Diet Cola
Manufacturer	PepsiCo, Inc.
Country of origin	USA
Introduced	1964
Variants	Diet Pepsi Lime Twist, Diet Pepsi Lemon Twist, Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi
Related products	Diet Coke, Pepsi ONE, Pepsi Max

The logo for Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi.

A Diet Pepsi can.

Diet Pepsi is a low-calorie carbonated cola, introduced in 1964 as a variant of Pepsi-Cola with no sugar. Its current formula in the United States contains only the artificial sweetener aspartame. The current Canadian formulation contains both aspartame (124 mg/355 ml) and acesulfame potassium (32 mg/355 ml)^{[citation needed]}. Pepsi does not list on its United States labeling the exact amount of aspartame/Nutrasweet present.

In the U.K, Diet Pepsi is known as Pepsi Diet and some European countries, it is known as Pepsi Light. This is not to be confused with an earlier U.S. product of the same name which was essentially 1970s Diet Pepsi with lemon flavoring.

Diet Pepsi contains 35mg/12 fl oz. of caffeine as listed on their can. Another version is available without caffeine. Additional variations of Diet Pepsi have been introduced over the years, wherein other flavors (such as wild cherry, vanilla, lemon, and lime) have been added to the cola. Their availability and brand identification vary by country.

Diet Pepsi's current slogan is "Light.Crisp.Refreshing."

In October 2008, Pepsi announced they would be redesigning their logo and re-branding many of their products. Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max uses all lower-case fonts for name brands, Mountain Dew is now labeled "Mtn Dew," and Diet Pepsi Max was re-branded as Pepsi Max. The brand's blue and red globe trademark became a series of "smiles," with the central white band arcing at different angles depending on the product. The new imagery has started to be used. In the case of Diet Pepsi, the logo has a small "smile", while the new lower-case font used on Pepsi's products are reminiscent of the font used in Diet Pepsi's logo from the 1960s to the mid-1980s.

Test Marketing

Diet Pepsi was first introduced as Patio Diet Cola in 1963. After the drink received positive reviews, it was re-introduced as Diet Pepsi in 1964. [1]

Marketing

In the United States Diet Pepsi is marketed as calorie-free, as FDA guidelines allow products with less than five calories per serving to be labeled as containing zero calories [2].

PepsiCo also markets low-calorie colas known as Pepsi Max and Pepsi ONE.

When Diet Pepsi was introduced, it originally contained one calorie (just like Pepsi ONE) until the late '90s. Then it was marked to having zero calories.

Advertising

In 1985, immediately following Super Bowl XIX, the game's respective quarterbacks, Joe Montana and Dan Marino, meet in a hallway of what appears to be a football stadium. Montana of the winning team, buys Marino a Diet Pepsi, and Marino promises to buy the drink the next year.^{[citation needed]}

During the early-1990s, blues singer Ray Charles was featured in a series of Diet Pepsi ads featuring the brand's then-current tagline, "You got the right one, baby!"^[1]

In the United States, Diet Pepsi commercials featured a Diet Pepsi vending machine (simply called Machine) being drafted into the NFL by the New England Patriots.^[2] The machine cannot be tackled because of its size compared to the human players, therefore leading to many touchdown catches as a wide receiver. In a more recent commercial, Machine now plays for the New Orleans Saints, competing with running back Reggie Bush.^[3]

Other commercials have featured Diet Pepsi (the can) as an entertainer represented by "agent" Jay Mohr, appearing in a music video produced by Diddy ("Brown and Bubbly")^[4] and in an action film featuring Jackie Chan (in which a rival Diet Coke can serves as an oft-abused "stunt double").^[5] Diet Pepsi (the can) has also been portrayed as a great poker player, winning hand after hand against champions Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, and Scotty Nguyen.^{[citation needed]}

In an instance of product placement, a futuristic Diet Pepsi bottle can be seen in the background of "Cafe '80s" in Back to the Future Part II.^[6]

Health concerns

Pepsi Light bottle from Germany

Diet Pepsi is acidic; drinking acidic drinks over a long period of time can erode the tooth enamel, particularly when they are sipped throughout the day rather than consumed with food. Drinking through a straw is often advised by dentists as the drink is then swallowed from the back of the mouth and does not come into so much contact with the teeth. It has also been suggested that brushing teeth right after drinking soft drinks should be avoided as this can result in additional erosion to the teeth due to the presence of acid. Caffeine and phosphoric acid may also be concerns; see soft drink controversy.

Diet Pepsi does not contain ascorbic acid or erythorbic acid, so benzene levels do not appear to be a significant concern.

Since the artificial sweetener in Diet Pepsi, aspartame, contains the amino acid phenylalanine, it should not be consumed by individuals that suffer the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria.

See also

• List of Pepsi types
• Cola wars
• Patio (soda)
• Nalech (soda)

References

External links

• PepsiCo
• Pepsi
• Diet Pepsi