Posted on 04/28/2022 3:06:56 PM PDT by nickcarraway
It may have a new name, but everything inside the bottle is remaining the same.
Bottles of Snapple peach iced tea and Diet Snapple peach iced tea on a store shelf
As a teenager, I remember traveling to Italy and seeing that, instead of Diet Coke, grocery stores sold Coca-Cola Light. It's the first time I really thought about this use of "diet" and how, yeah, it's a bit odd. According to CNN, "diet" drinks were born out of the success of Diet Rite which launched in 1958 as an option for people who needed to limit their sugar intake. But with the modern-day ubiquity of sugar alternatives, the idea of these beverages being associated with a "diet" has waned significantly.
No, America never got on the "Light" train. (Interesting fact, Coca-Cola says they considered it in the U.S., but it was already taken by another brand.) But in recent years, brands have been opting to drop the "Diet" moniker in favor of terms like "Zero" or "Zero Sugar." "Younger people just don't like the word 'diet," Greg Lyons, chief marketing officer at PepsiCo Beverages North America, was quoted as saying this past December. "No Gen Z wants to be on a diet these days."
Another major beverage company who has been ditching "Diet" is Keurig Dr Pepper. They've already swapped the term with "Zero Sugar" for brands like 7Up, A&W, and Sunkist. Now, they've come to rename your Snapple, too.
Snapple announced this week that all "Diet Snapple" beverages will henceforth be labeled as "Snapple Zero Sugar." And the brand promises that will be the only change: The formulas for all of these drinks will remain exactly the same.
The result is a new name and packaging for six existing Snapple flavors now called Zero Sugar Peach Tea, Zero Sugar Lemon Tea, Zero Sugar Raspberry Tea, Zero Sugar Half n' Half Lemonade Iced Tea, Zero Sugar Takes 2 to Mango Tea, and Zero Sugar Trop-A-Rocka Tea — and one brand new flavor: Zero Sugar Kiwi Strawberry.
"The past few years, we have seen a major shift from diet culture in beverages, and the tea consumer is no different," Katie Webb, Keurig Dr Pepper's vice president of brand marketing, told us via email. "The decision to reposition Diet Snapple to Snapple Zero Sugar was a choice made to deliver on our consumer's needs. We're committed to the innovation behind the better-for-you zero sugar that still delivers the same great taste that our consumers have known and loved for decades."
In other words, and to paraphrase the great William Shakespeare, "That which we call Diet Snapple, by any other name would taste as sweet."
Thank goodness.
Snapple is one of the most interesting brands to study in today’s stupid moves and moronic mismanagement. The original lady (Wendy) sold out to Quaker Oates back in the 90’s for $26 million. Quaker Oates destroyed the customer base and distribution and sales plummeted. Wendy bought the brand back for about 20 cents on the dollar and revived and rescued it. She sold it again, but not sure who’s mucking it up with their MBA from Harvard this time?
I remember when Snapple was just starting out as a company. Then they advertised with Rush Limbaugh and it took off. The original owner sold the company and then the new woke owners refused to advertise with Rush anymore and their sales immediately dropped. A few years later, Rush started his own Peach Iced Tee brand.
Terrible stuff I remember when Rush first plugged it - tried and needed mouthwash immediately.
There was a rumour in the black community that the sailing ship on Snapple’s original logo was a slave ship.
I love the taste of Snapple Peach Iced Tea but it’s heavy handed in caffeine. After drinking a bottle my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest.
Bring back Tab.
Tea has a lot less caffeine than coffee, but maybe Snapple adds some?
Well duh. Of course it was. I wonder who leaked that secret. Only White folks were supposed to know.
Keurig Dr Pepper can’t be that against it with Diet Dr. Pepper doing as well as it does.
Wendy was just and Advertisement, she was never an owner of Snapple. Quaker did sell it, but not to the original owners.
That schizz tasted like parts washer solvent....
I never said Hello.
I drink a lot of “diet” drinks to keep my sugar under control. Lipton makes some good sugar free teas and green teas. Everything I’ve tried from Snapple has been plain nasty. If I can’t find Lipton I’ll drink water.
A lot of companies piggybacked off Rush. Boll and Branch sheet commercials are a woke mess now. Does Carbonite even exist anymore?
She advertised on Rush Limbaugh’s show and Quaker dropped him as an advertiser...and down it went - big time.
Rush would even do product placement in the middle of his show saying things to the effect of “I’m going to open up a bottle of Snapple Ice Tea. (gulp) ahhh!” LOL
Sometimes I wonder at the sheer depth of the well of human ignorance.
au contraire mon frere
I have been purchasing diet Ocean Spray in at least eight different flavors for many years. In addition to regular and diet they also have light. I have a 64 oz jug of Diet Cranberry in my refrigerator right now and have some in a Camelbak bottle on my desk.
Yes! I remember when it first came out my spinster Aunts drank it and I hated it. Years ago I picked it up for a nostalgia trip and loved it, my wife did too so I kept buying it until it was off the shelves for good.
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