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PURCHASE, N.Y., April 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew is once again tapping the collective intelligence of its most passionate consumers to help write a new chapter in the beverage’s history and elevate the premier lifestyle brand to new heights. Beginning today, Mountain Dew will launch nationwide three new DEW flavor innovations – Mountain Dew® Distortion™, Mountain Dew® White Out™ and Mountain Dew® Typhoon™ – that were developed in partnership with consumers during the brand’s DEWmocracy 2 campaign:
-Mountain Dew Distortion – DEW blasted with lime
-Mountain Dew Typhoon – DEW with a punch of tropical flavors
-Mountain Dew White Out – DEW infused with a smooth citrus taste
DEWmocracy 2, a seven-stage, 12-month, consumer-driven campaign launched in July 2009, enabled more than 4,000 of the DEW brand’s most loyal fans, referred to as DEW Labs™ members, to co-create three new DEW beverages. Leveraging a variety of social media networks and tools, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the brand and consumers collaborated on all areas of product development including flavor, color, name, and package design.
DEW fans remain engaged as the three new DEW products begin hitting store shelves nationwide this month. In addition to having a role in creating the TV ads and online media planning and buying process, fans will lead the charge in grassroots initiatives that will drive awareness and trial of the new DEW products.
“DEWmocracy 2 has re-affirmed our belief that DEW consumers want a voice in and want to help shape the future of the Mountain Dew franchise,” said Frank Cooper, senior vice president, chief consumer engagement officer, PepsiCo Americas Beverages. “By maintaining an open dialogue with our consumers through an intense, year-long collaborative project, we’ve offered them an opportunity to leave their imprint on a brand they truly love and have solidified an even stronger relationship with fans who matter most.”
Let the Voting Begin: Three New Flavors Vie for a Place in History as the Next New DEW
The three contending Mountain Dew beverages will be on shelves for eight weeks through June 14, providing fans with the opportunity to taste each of the flavors and cast a vote for their favorite at www.dewmocracy.com. The winning flavor will become a member of the DEW family on Labor Day 2010.
During the voting phase, “Flavor Nations,” comprised of DEW Labs members who are divided into three Nations supporting each of the new flavor innovation, will be campaigning for their favorite flavor to win the permanent spot. Starting May 1, members of each Flavor Nation, working with MTV Networks, will begin cross-country road tours, organizing skateboarding competitions, art exhibits inspired by DEW and samplings at concerts and sporting events, among other activities. Their goal: to rally friends, family and all DEW lovers to show their support by participating and posting photos and video content online, going online to vote for their favorite flavor, and engaging others to sample and vote.
Fan-Driven Ad and Marketing Campaigns
In the Fall of 2009, Mountain Dew invited ad agencies and individuals from across the country to submit 12-second video ads. Consumers voted on the spots they felt best captured the essence of the DEW brand, and the DEW Labs communities then selected their three winners: Crashtest Productions (Typhoon), Dewdadew (White Out) and Animaticmedia (Distortion).
Since January 2010, the advertising finalists have collaborated with the brand and individual Flavor Nations to develop the three 15-second television ad spots that will launch to support the three flavors on April 26.
For the first time in company history, consumers also have played an active role in shaping and influencing the paid media planning and buying process. Potential media partners, including some that were introduced to the brand by consumers, were required to pitch their proposals to DEW Labs members alongside the brand, again remaining true to the DEW brand’s DNA of collaboration between brand and consumer. Online outlets, including The Onion, CollegeHumor, CraveOnline and Funny or Die, put together media proposals and videos for each Flavor Nation that showcased the culture of each online partner. The online DEWmocracy campaign will debut April 19, 2010.
Decision 2010
All three Mountain Dew flavors are available from April 19 through June 14, 2010, at mass, drug and retail outlets nationwide. This year’s DEWmocracy 2 winner will join Mountain Dew® Voltage™, the latest addition to the Mountain Dew family. Mountain Dew Voltage won the DEWmocracy 1 campaign in 2008 that relied on an immersive story-based online game to develop a unique Mountain Dew beverage and saw more than 1 million people participate in the product creation and selection process.
Please visit www.dewmocracy.com to vote on your favorite DEWmocracy 2 flavor. The power is in your hands; let your voice be heard.
For more information on DEWmocracy 2, details on each stage of the campaign, videos and photos please visit: www.DEWmocracyMediaHub.com.
About Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew is a product of PepsiCo Beverages Americas (PBA). In addition to the Mountain Dew trademark, the PBA portfolio includes the Pepsi, Sierra Mist and Mug trademarks in the carbonated soft drink category. PBA is a division of PepsiCo, Inc., which offers the world’s largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than US $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade – also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly US $60 billion, PepsiCo’s people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. In recognition of its continued sustainability efforts, PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) in 2009. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.