Dr Pepper Snapple Group announced via Twitter today that next month it will begin a national roll-out of 10-calorie versions of five soda brands, including 7-Up, Sunkist, Canada Dry, RC Cola and A&W Root Beer.
They will join Dr Pepper Ten, launched approximately a year ago as a way of appealing to men who didn’t want the stigma of being seen drinking a diet soda.
Dr Pepper told the Associated Press that the new drinks won’t be as closely aligned with men: the ads will use the theme “Get Both.”
Larry Young, the CEO of DPSG, told the AP that he believes 40 to 50 percent of is sales will come from a mix of diet and lower calorie CSDs, juices and waters in the next few years. It’s in keeping with a trend in which diet CSDs have lost share at a much lower rate than their full-calorie brethren. The company has also launched lower-calorie Snapple teas as well.
The 10-calorie CSDs are sweetened with a mix of high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. It has already test-marketed the new varieties in some markets.
The push to 10 calories is becoming even more important in cities like New York, which recently passed a ban on sales of large containers of high-calorie products at certain retailers.