nutrisoda

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Diet; Container: 12 oz. can
BevNET Review: Of all the flavors, this was our least favorite. Our first issue is the name, “Wildberry Citron”. Despite the fancy name, the flavor is actually a rather pedestrian tasting mixture of berry and lemon flavors. They taste very much like what you’d find in a standard diet CSD. It’s been given a heavy dose of sucralose sweetener, which puts it on par with competing diet CSDs. Either way, it’s not an overly memorable flavor. Our second issue is with the exterior of the product which, despite getting a massive visual overhaul, seems less polished than its predecessor. The squat 12 oz. can doesn’t feel as hip or credible (in terms of functionality and vitamin benefits) as the original, which is the result of making it look much more like a mainstream CSD. Furthermore, there’s the product’s function (“Calm”), which has no explanation or credibility in the current design. Put both of those problems together and we see a product whose function will likely be ignored and whose so-so flavor will have a hard time getting repeat business. Overall, this product needs a lot of work.

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Diet; Container: 12 oz can
BevNET Review: This variety of Nutrisoda, which is under the “+Energize” tag, drinks very much like a standard diet orange soda, but, as the name implies, with an added energy component. Unlike the other Nutrisoda flavors that we sampled, using energy as a function alleviates our concerns of not explaining the drink’s function as we doubt that any consumer will have a hard time understanding what’s in this drink or what it does. A mixture of caffeine and vitamins is something that should have appeal, especially when paired with the product’s pleasant orange flavor. However, we’re again left feeling like the product is missing something in the way of appeal. Mainly, we think that the organization of front panel text, which goes from energy to flavor to nutrients, skims over the flavor aspect too fast. You’ll also have to turn the can around to find out that it’s a sugar free product, which is somewhat impractical in a cooler. Overall, it’s a good concept, but the visual execution is lacking and leaves the product looking like a value priced CSD.

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Diet; Container: 12 oz can
BevNET Review: Formerly a flavor that was used for Nutrisoda’s “Flex” function, this product has been recast and rebranded into a “Focus” flavor. From a flavor point of view, the product drinks like a diet black cherry soda that’s sweetened with sucralose. We don’t really taste the apple flavor in the mix, although there is something that has been added to help cut the tartness at the finish. There are “11 vitamins and nutrients” that have been added to the mix, but the product’s packaging lacks anything that ties them back to the “focus” function. That being said, consumers will either have to have blind faith or do research on the nutrition panel. Further on the packaging front, they’ve made this product look much more like a CSD, eliminating the slim can in favor of a standard 12 oz. That seems like a bad move to us, hurting both the aesthetics of the product and the credibility of its “healthy” side. What remains is something that looks very much like a Pepsi product, especially with its 70’s styling that looks of the same vein as their Throwback products. Either way, we’re not fans of the new look. Aside from disliking the standard 12 oz. can (why not a slim 12-ouncer, instead?), it’s hard to spot the flavor, the color schemes are too close, and the exclusive use of narrow vertical text is hard on the eyes. Definitely a step backwards in our opinion.

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Diet; Container: 12 oz can
BevNET Review: What you’ve got inside this can is a somewhat sweet tasting sucralose sweetened CSD that has lime and orange notes to it. As far as diet CSD’s go, it’s actually quite enjoyable, with a nice balance of the two fruit flavors and a moderate amount of carbonation that gives the product a crisp feeling in the mouth. We also appreciate the product’s lack of coloring and their desire to add vitamins and nutrients to the mix. However, the recent switchover to a standard 12 oz. CSD can seems like a step in the wrong direction, making the product look and feel much more like a product from one of the big guys (it’s owned by PepsiAmericas). Conceptually, the change in branding makes sense and is appealing (at least on Nutrisoda's web site), but the execution of the can design seems flawed in many ways. First, the text and colors are hard on the eyes, especially with the shiny metallic backdrop. Second, they call a lot of attention to the word “immune” (more so than the flavor itself), but fail to explain what this means or why it matters. That’s important because ultimately we think that consumers will likely pick this up with their primary focus on refreshment rather than its functional benefits. That being said, making it a bit easier to identify the flavor will help lure them in – and better explaining the function should seal the deal. Overall, we enjoyed the flavor of the drink quite a bit, but the branding needs work.