Dr Pepper Ties Pepsi as America’s No. 2 Soda
Jennifer Maloney, reporting for The Wall Street Journal (News+):
There is a new contender in the cola wars, and it isn’t a cola.
It’s Dr Pepper.
The 139-year-old soda brand is now tied with Pepsi-Cola as the No.
2 carbonated soft drink brand in America behind Coke. The regular
versions of Pepsi and Dr Pepper are neck and neck in a spot that
Pepsi has held nearly every year for the past four decades,
according to sales-volume data from Beverage Digest.
Dr Pepper’s new ranking follows a steady climb over the past 20
years. Its ascent is a product of big marketing investments, novel
flavors and a quirk in Dr Pepper’s distribution that has put it on
more soda fountains than any other soft drink in the U.S. At the
same time, consumption of regular Pepsi has fallen as its drinkers
switch to Pepsi Zero Sugar or migrate to other drinks.
The overall Pepsi brand, including Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Zero
Sugar, remains the No. 2 soda trademark in the U.S., though its
market share has been slipping. Coke is the largest, with more
than twice the market share by volume of any of its rivals.
I seldom drink sugared soda anymore, but when I do, I’ve had a lifelong affection for both Coke and Dr Pepper. (If you’re at a place that lets you pour your own fountain drinks, trying mixing Coke and Dr Pepper half-and-half — delicious.) And I’ve always despised both the taste and branding of Pepsi. Dr Pepper, on the other hand, has long handled its status as the upstart in a fun way.
Via Kevin Drum, who, like me, is surprised that the no-sugar variants of these brands aren’t more popular.
Lastly, from the DF archive back in 2003: “Pop Culture”.
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Jennifer Maloney, reporting for The Wall Street Journal (News+):
There is a new contender in the cola wars, and it isn’t a cola.
It’s Dr Pepper.
The 139-year-old soda brand is now tied with Pepsi-Cola as the No.
2 carbonated soft drink brand in America behind Coke. The regular
versions of Pepsi and Dr Pepper are neck and neck in a spot that
Pepsi has held nearly every year for the past four decades,
according to sales-volume data from Beverage Digest.
Dr Pepper’s new ranking follows a steady climb over the past 20
years. Its ascent is a product of big marketing investments, novel
flavors and a quirk in Dr Pepper’s distribution that has put it on
more soda fountains than any other soft drink in the U.S. At the
same time, consumption of regular Pepsi has fallen as its drinkers
switch to Pepsi Zero Sugar or migrate to other drinks.
The overall Pepsi brand, including Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Zero
Sugar, remains the No. 2 soda trademark in the U.S., though its
market share has been slipping. Coke is the largest, with more
than twice the market share by volume of any of its rivals.
I seldom drink sugared soda anymore, but when I do, I’ve had a lifelong affection for both Coke and Dr Pepper. (If you’re at a place that lets you pour your own fountain drinks, trying mixing Coke and Dr Pepper half-and-half — delicious.) And I’ve always despised both the taste and branding of Pepsi. Dr Pepper, on the other hand, has long handled its status as the upstart in a fun way.
Via Kevin Drum, who, like me, is surprised that the no-sugar variants of these brands aren’t more popular.
Lastly, from the DF archive back in 2003: “Pop Culture”.