As I was driving somewhere recently, I saw a sign outside of a gas station that was advertising Pepsi Jazz. What in the world is that? I stopped trying to keep track of the latest beverage choices long ago. I have my favorites and I can’t imagine cheating on them. Besides, the mere thought of drinking something called Bug Juice turns my stomach a little. And I’m way too old to want to try to find a new favorite anyway. But I did get a bit of a chuckle out of my niece (whose birthday it is today—happy birthday!) a couple of days ago at Taco Bell. She said she wanted Mountain Dew, so as I went to get it from the fountain, they had more than one flavor of Mountain Dew. They had something called Mountain Dew Baja Blast or some such thing. Being the non-eccentric kind of guy that I am, I didn’t mess with the new stuff, but I asked her about it when I got back to the table. She said she has never heard of it either, but for some reason, the way I explained it to her was funny. I’m guessing it was in my delivery. I’m sure I looked a little confused.
I’m wondering...how many more flavors do we really need? Isn’t everybody pretty much predisposed to like one or the other? Apparently not. A beverage expert said the following in an article I just ran across on CNN’s website: “The beverage industry has reached an area of specialization. We’ll likely see a growing assortment of brands and choice—more niche brands and fewer megabrands.”
The same article says that just between Coke and Pepsi, they offer approximately 100 different carbonated products in the U.S. I guess they know what they are doing. I have no interest in experimenting, but I’m glad the whole thing got a laugh out of my niece.
