Dr Pepper climbs into tie for 2nd in U.S. soda rankings, report says

WFAA-TV8 ^ | June 03, 2024 | Ryan Osborne

[Red Badger]

Dr Pepper is now tied with Pepsi as the No. 2 soft drink brand in the U.S., new research shows.

Wall Street Journal reveals favorite soft drink

DALLAS — Move over, Pepsi. Or at least make room.

Texas' own Dr Pepper is now tied with Pepsi as the No. 2 soft drink brand in the U.S., according to new research reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Both brands are still well behind Coke, which has long held the dominant market share on soft drinks, according to Beverage Digest data cited in the report.

In 2023, Coke held 19.18% market share, while Dr. Pepper and Pepsi were around 8.30%, the data said. *Technically,* Dr. Pepper held the slight edge at 8.34% to Pepsi's 8.31%, but it was virtually a tie for second, which is a long way coming for Dr. Pepper.

The Texas-founded brand, which dates back to 1885, has gradually increased market share over the last 20 years, growing from the 5.50% range in the early 2000s -- and fifth among major soft drink brands -- to its current standing, surpassing Diet Coke and Sprite to tie with Pepsi.

The Wall Street Journal report cited the rise of Dr. Pepper's "big marketing investments, novel flavors and a quirk in Dr. Pepper's distribution," which has allowed the drink to be on more soda fountains than any other brand.

While Coke and Pepsi typically have exclusive deals with certain restaurant chains, the Journal reported, Dr. Pepper "has alliances with both sides."

Dr. Pepper is unique from Pepsi and Coke in that it doesn't have a traditional cola taste. Instead, it's a syrup blend of 23 different flavors -- as evidenced on the Dr. Pepper logo -- that was invented by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco in the 1880s.

The company ultimately relocated its headquarters to Dallas, near Mockingbird Lane and Greenville Avenue, where the old Dr. Pepper clock still stands today. Dr. Pepper eventually merged with Seven-Up, and the two brands were later acquired by Cadbury Schweppes in the 1990s when the company relocated its headquarters to Plano.

Today, Dr. Pepper is under the Keurig Dr. Pepper corporate structure.

And no, there's still no period after Dr. all these years later.

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[Red Badger]

But the water is fizzy.....................

[mware]

Oh, how I loved to sip on A Doctor Pepper, or RC Cola..now it’s like drinking molten lava.

[Red Badger]

Same company................

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_Up

[dfwgator]

I switched to Perrier a few years ago to quit soda.

[1Old Pro]

Very rarely will I have soda. Soft Drink of choice is sugar free iced tea, Green tea is good.

[Red Badger]

I don’t drink as many as I used to, mainly just drink water.
The excess calories are too much for me now.
I’ll have a soda on weekends with a meal but not usually by itself..................

[T.B. Yoits]

Since the racists in Coca-Cola korporate demanded their employees "be less white", the brand deserves to disappear into the dustbin of history.

[rhinohunter]

I just wish the colas would lower the calorie content

“Pepsi Light” had half the calories. It failed.

[Thomas Jerome]

Dr Enuf is so much better. No corn either.

[Red Badger]

Dr. Granny's Rumatiz Medicine has lots of corn................

[Red Badger]

Peach Nehi was better.................

[ansel12]

Good for 10-2 & 4, but when do we get back Triple XXX Root Beer and Hires Root Beer?

[telescope115]

I do remember that now. I was a big beer drinker back then…🙂🍺

[Dr. Sivana]

I know Dr. Pepper/Keurig/7Up are the same company. The 7Up BRAND used to be dominant in the lemon-lime soda field. McDonald’s used to carry it. Coke stuck to its knitting and quietly pushed Sprite, and 7Up stopped running big ad campaigns, losing share during the New Age soft drinks of the ‘80s/90s, and is now an also ran in the U.S. One problem is that Pepsi keeps on coming out with lame lemon-lime drinks (Mountain Dew is its own thing), like Teem, Slice (which wasn’t lame but faded all the same), Sierra Mist and mow the worst of all, Starry, which my daughter says looks like a fake drink they would have in a TV show or movie.

Also, there is no reason Wink cannot be pushed to make a run at Fresca.

[Dr. Sivana]

I was a big beer drinker back then…

My guess is that you are bigger beer drinker now.

[Dr. Sivana]

when do we get back Triple XXX Root Beer and Hires Root Beer?

The neglect that victimized Hires is inexcusable. For some reason A & W has gotten all the attention, when Hires was the FIRST national root beer brand.

It still exists, but is hard to find. There is a specialty soda shop in Phoenix (35th Ave and Cactus) that has about 20 brands of Root Beer, and ten of Sarsparilla and Birch Beer. They have Hires Root Beer in the fountain at the neighboring Rocket Burger, which is part of the same operation. I dislike Root Beer, or I would have had some.

[Dr. Sivana]

“Pepsi Light” had half the calories. It failed.

Pepsi Light had several iterations. You are correct. The first iteration added a touch of lemon flavor and took out half the calories. However, they added saccharin (no Nutrasweet/Splenda in those days), so it still had too many calories for the Cheryl Ladd wannabees, and had the nasty saccharin aftertaste that people hated. They tried a 1 calorie version later, and that just never caught on.

The Pepsi Light name has also been used in Canada for an entirely different product altogether.

[ansel12]

As a boy I could take the bus into downtown Houston to hang out and watch all the adult drama of winos, hustlers, the men with no legs on push boards, the men entering almost invisible doors where hookers were, the oyster bars open to the sidewalk, the hustle and bustle, and during that day if I had a dollar I could go to the run down and completely packed James Coney Island and get 4 chili dogs and a Hires Root Beer.

[Zionist Conspirator]

I’m still wishing I could find a bottle of Suncrest orange.

[mware]

My gran made sarsaparilla and root beer from scratch.