Even as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg awaits final implementation of his ban on too-large soft drinks in New York City, the state's attorney general now is investigating whether the energy-drink industry is deceiving consumers with misstatements about the ingredients and health value of its products.

Subpoenas went out in July to Living Essentials, maker of market leader 5-Hour Energy; to PepsiCo Inc., maker of Amp; and to Monster Beverage, the other big brand in the category, according to the Wall Street Journal. The state is seeking more information on the companies' marketing and advertising practices.

The AG's concern is that the marketers overstate the role of exotic-sounding ingredients such as taurine, ginseng and guarana while understating the significance of caffeine as the primary active ingredient in energy drinks and shots The products' labels often don't say how much caffeine is contained in the drink or how it is obtained. Continue reading...

When Mark Wahlberg was training for the 2010 film “The Fighter,” he discovered AquaHydrate, a water supplemented with minerals and electrolytes. He apparently liked the stuff so much that he wanted in on the company.

Wahlberg now owns about 20 percent of the company, according to the Wall Street Journal, and his involvement no doubt helped rope in P. Diddy as an investor as well. The man sometimes known as Sean Combs also has a stake worth about 20 percent. 

Now, after selling the product in Walgreens and other such US outlets, Wahlberg, Diddy, and their fellow investors are taking the beverage abroad. AquaHydrate may make its Australian debut in the next few weeks and “is advancing talks to expand into Asian markets through a joint venture covering Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, as well as distribution in Japan,” the Journal notes.

And why not? Consumers are drinking less soda than they used to and are more and more interested in purchasing items that have a healthy bent to their marketing. Research firm Innova Market Insights recently reported that fruit-based drinks have “dominated launch activity, accounting for over 43% of total” beverage launches in the last two years. Water isn’t growing as quickly, but the concept of AquaHydrate is to provide an alternative to the sugared sodas that ruled the beverage world’s recent past history. Continue reading...

Having shored up its flagship brand globally with the marketing momentum provided by its London Olympics sponsorship, Coke this fall will turn its attention to a category where it has been lagging -- even behind thirst-slaking archrival PepsiCo: ready-to-drink tea.

Fuze, a better-for-you juice brand that Coke acquired in the same era of diversification that landed it Vitaminwater several years ago, is becoming the recipient of Coke's decision to go harder after the fast-growing mainstream RTD tea segment in the U.S. market when its 20-year-long joint venture with Nestle to market Nestea in the U.S. comes to an end at the beginning of next year.

Independent Arizona leads the rising market with about a 40 percent share, followed by PepsiCo which fields the Brisk brand, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Nestea. Coke would like a much bigger share of tea drinkers than has so far been afforded by its homegrown Gold Peak refrigerated brand and its acquisition of organic-tea expert Honest Tea a few years ago. Continue reading...

Mountain Dew is now available in a new can, features color-changing artwork, one-third larger than their traditional 12-ounce offering. The limited-edition 16-ounce can, when chilled to 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit, highlights a symbol that transforms to the signature green color of Mountain Dew by using thermochromic ink.

Chromatic Technologies Inc. (CTI) has refined the process of temperature-activated inks, creating a cornucopia of opportunities such as hidden messages in package designs, signaling of cold temperatures, indicators of product levels or extensions, and above all, brand messaging. 

A broad range of brands including Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola Canada, Coors, Hallmark, Monster Energy, Pizza Hut and Tuaca Liqueur have used the technique, and now Mountain Dew is courting an interactive color experience with consumers. Continue reading...

Coca-Cola's Diet Coke sugar-free soft drink launched in the U.S. 30 years ago — on Aug. 9th, 1982, to be exact.

As Coca-Cola's Diet Coke brand page notes, "Within two years, Diet Coke had become the top diet soft drink in the world, a position the brand maintains today. Known as Coca-Cola light in some countries, it's now the No. 3 soft drink in the world" — following Pepsi at #2, and Coke at #1.

The brand celebrated by hosting 30-second parties for a few of its "biggest fans" who sent birthday wishes using the Twitter hashtag #DietCokeBday — check out a few of their reactions below — while The Guardian took a look this week at the beverage's "enduring appeal."Continue reading...

Coca-Cola is busy spreading "Happiness" around the world as an Olympics sponsor, while Pepsi is counting on new cultural relevance through its music-based "Live for Now" campaign and by sponsoring the next Super Bowl halftime show.

But back at the home offices in Atlanta and in Purchase, N.Y., executives of each company are dealing with real-world strains including the increasing opposition of nutrition activists (including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg), more competition, consumers' fading interest in soft drinks — and with each other. And those factors are contributing to important new dynamics for PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent.

In Atlanta, Coca-Cola has just reorganized its C-suite and expanded the responsibilities of two senior executives, Steve Cahillane and Ahmet Bozer, creating an early horse race to succeed Kent in a few years. The move also is part of a consolidation of executive authority beneath Kent, who has been widely praised for his leadership of the company, boosting profits and swiping market share from PepsiCo since he became CEO in 2008.Continue reading...

PepsiCo executives were assailed for having let Diet Coke usurp their flagship brand to take second place, behind Coca-Cola, in U.S. soft drink sales in 2011. How they marketed — or, rather, didn't market — Pepsi was flagged by some observers as part of the problem.

Well, the company got the message. And among the many recent indicators of that — including Pepsi's major sponsorship of The X Factor, its endorsement relationship with Nicki Minaj, and the shaking up of its upper management under CEO Indra Nooyi — may be that, when Super Bowl XLVII reaches halftime on February 3 at the Superdome in New Orleans, Pepsi today confirmed reports that it's taking over as sponsor of the iconic halftime show.

"Pepsi's deep-rooted heritage with the Super Bowl and with music truly makes this relationship a natural fit," Adam Harter, PepsiCo Beverages' VP of consumer engagement, said in a press release. "As the most-watched and highly anticipated entertainment event of the year, the Super Bowl Halftime Show is right at the heart of sports and music."Continue reading...

PepsiCo today announced a multi-year relationship with the Pittsburgh Steelers to be the NFL team's exclusive "non-alcoholic beverage, salty snacks and sports fuel provider."

The deal marks the Steelers' first such partnership, and gives PepsiCo the rights to exclusive selling, dispensing and serving at Heinz Field; fixed stadium signage; venue and team sponsor assets; integration into the team's mobile, TV and digital assets; and local media and retail promotional opportunities.

The stadium conversion will be complete by the start of the Steelers' 2012 season. PepsiCo is also introducing a limited-edition commemorative Pepsi MAX can in honor of the Steelers' 80th anniversary, available throughout Pennsylvania beginning in the fall. That's not PepsiCo's only limited-edition commemorative can.

PepsiCo is preparing to roll out “a new malt-flavored version of its Mountain Dew soda” that will appear in select 7-Eleven and Kroger stores, according to CSPnet.com.

The gold-tinted premium version of Mountain Dew just received trademark approval to be called Mountain Dew Johnson City Gold and will appear in refrigerator cases in late August in a few Midwestern cities as well as Denver and Charlotte, N.C.Continue reading...