Pepsi Edge Has Emptied for the Last Time

It’s official… Pepsi Edge is now a relic, a part of history, something that I will convey to my children with stories beginning with, “Back in my day!” Pepsi announced last Thursday that they would be sending their mid-calorie cola to soft drink heaven by the end of this year. That is of course unless destination is dictated by performance, in which case it may not make it past Purgatory.

According to a report in Adage.com (advertising trade pub that was in contact with a company spokesperson), Pepsi chose to remove the mid-calorie product as part of their plan to “strictly focus on the Diet Pepsi and Pepsi One products in the future, recognizing that consumers tend to prefer zero-calorie products.” My thoughts exactly… smart move.

I don’t blame them… it seems that people attracted to diet-conscious colas would go for the full monty – the diet (zero-calorie) version. It seems like Pepsi may be pulling out at a smart time. Nothing against Pepsi, they made the right move in trying a new product that seemed to hold a bright future... they needed to try and fill a niche. But now that they have discovered that niche actually coincides with the "diet drink" niche, they serve to make more money and be more successful by focusing on their diet products.

However, the Coke complimentary, C2, will remain on the market.

Does this hint toward a summer rife with new products and new cola wars? Not to mention new star wars. But that's a different subject for a different time.