These are neither zero-calorie colas with artificial sweeteners nor full-calorie colas with sugar or fructose syrup. They're 'mid-cal colas' featuring stevia, a plant-derived sweetener, typically targeting millennials who want to avoid a lot of chemical ingredients.
At left, Coca-Cola Life in bottles.
At right, a can of Pepsi True.
Note the use of green labels, which consumers usually associate with natural foods. What does this mean for dueling colas? A UK creative exec comments: 'The problem of sending confusing messages to consumers is they tend to avoid brands rather than try to decode them'.
Coca-Cola Life is launching in the UK with sampling, outdoor and transit ads and of course digital marketing. When The Grocer tasted Coca-Cola Life and compared its flavour with other Coke products, the editors preferred Life. A key question is whether this new product will attract new customers or take them from existing Coke products.
Pepsi True is currently available through Amazon in the US, but will soon be on store shelves there. Pepsi marketers view this product as a niche item because it appeals to a relatively small subsegment of soft-drink buyers.
