I predicted this two years ago... based on the trends. I guess 2010 was the year.

I don't actually drink Diet Coke anymore... or regular Coke for that matter (I'm a Coke Zero man), but this is a pretty big coup in the beverage world.

http://www.beverage-digest.com/pdf/top-10_2011.pdf

I wonder if any of this has to do with Throwback. I know, personally, I very *rarely* drink a regular Pepsi anymore - I just don't like it very much... and I used to drink it quite often.

The only main market I can see Throwback pulling from is the base Pepsi drinking market... and since the product apparently sold well enough to stick around, I'd really be interested in seeing the Pepsi+Throwback figures in comparison to Diet Coke.

Well, to be fair... Coke has a huge advantage because it controls 70% of soda fountains (i.e., restaurants, etc). In supermarkets, where people have a choice, the competition is probably much closer.

I am sure the big wigs at Pepsico are mulling over an action plan to undo this "tragedy". I know personally YTD my facility is up 15% in pepsi-cola brand alone and that was before this huge week we just had. I doubt that blip on the radar screen will stay that way. Pepsi is too cherished of a brand to be number 2 to a diet brand. This is MY prediction..that it will take its market share back and gain #2 easily by next year. Remember.. diet coke didn't gain it by having more numbers really..it just gained the spot by LOSING less. I am sure the pepsi throwback contributed to the cannibalization undoubtedly but it is tapping into a different consumer base. This will be a big year for pepsi brands..mark my words.

i'd like to see a full list to see where coke zero and pepsi max compare. sprite seems to be doing well.

Coke Zero outsells Pepsi Max by quite a bit in the US. I can't remember the exact numbers, but I think it's about 3-4 times as much. It probably doesn't help that Max has to compete with Pepsi One as well.

On the other hand, in the UK, Pepsi Max (which has been out longer than CZ there) outsells Coke Zero by about double, I think.

Until a few years ago, Diet Coke's market share was growing every year (as were other diet/zero soft drinks). Coke Zero clearly had an impact because, soon after its release, Diet Coke's growth sputtered a little bit... and then the recession hit and Diet Coke's growth stopped & it pretty much remained flat.

Meanwhile, Coke & Pepsi (the sugary versions) have been losing market share for about a decade... for many reasons (i.e., competition from sports drinks & flavored waters, etc). Eventually though, many analysts expect the declines to hit a bottom, and then growth will start again (perhaps once the economy fully bounces back).

I can't help but wonder whether the logo change has affected Pepsi's sales. I mean, if you look at the numbers, both, Pepsi & Diet Pepsi fell dramatically more than everything else.

Without the fountains (and Walmart) Mountain Dew would be ahead of Diet Coke

Mountain Dew passes Diet Coke, becomes No. 3 soft drink in U.S. *| ajc.com

Pepsi should just switch to sugar completely for Pepsi and CF Pepsi. People will have a choice between three different sugar sweetened Pepsi drinks. Making a longer run of KP Pepsi would be a start (it helps for Coke, who seems to have a lot of extra KP Coke even after Passover).

But why would you ignore 70% of the market?

Originally Posted by Themaster73

Without the fountains (and Walmart) Mountain Dew would be ahead of Diet Coke

Mountain Dew passes Diet Coke, becomes No. 3 soft drink in U.S. | ajc.com