THE UNKNOWN HISTORY OF STARRY SODA

In the waning days of Sierra Mist's reign, PepsiCo was cooking up something different in their labs—a soft drink they called Starry, aimed straight at the heart of Sprite's empire.

The year was 2023, and while the world was caught up in its usual chaos of headlines and heartaches, this little corner of beverage history was about to get a shake-up that'd ripple through convenience store coolers from Jersey to Juneau.

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ORIGINS OF STARRY SODA

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PepsiCo launched Starry, its new lemon-lime soda, in January 2023 to compete with Sprite and 7 Up.

The company prepared methodically, securing the domain name in July 2022 and filing for trademark protection of the brand name and logo in August.

This launch targeted the expanding lemon-lime soda market, where PepsiCo saw an opportunity to establish a new competitor.

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STARRY REPLACED SIERRA MIST

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PepsiCo replaced Sierra Mist with Starry in its lemon-lime lineup after Sierra Mist failed to gain significant market share against competitors.

It was PepsiCo's attempt to strengthen its position in the lemon-lime beverage market.

By phasing out Sierra Mist and launching Starry, PepsiCo seized the opportunity to reinvigorate their brand and appeal to evolving consumer preferences within this dynamic segment.

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THE MARKETING WAS GEARED TOWARDS GENERATION Z CONSUMERS

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PepsiCo targeted Starry's marketing to Gen Z by focusing on digital platforms and social causes.

The campaign used visuals and messages that matched young consumers' interests, showing that PepsiCo understands it must connect authentically with this audience to succeed in today's market.

This strategic focus on capturing the attention and loyalty of Generation Z positioned Starry as a brand poised to capture the imagination and preferences of a generation shaping the future of consumer trends.

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A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN MIGHT ALLOW STARRY TO CAPTURE 5–10% OF THE MARKET

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PepsiCo's launch of Starry drew intense scrutiny from beverage industry analysts, who saw it as a direct challenge to Sprite's dominance in lemon-lime sodas.

Market researchers predicted Starry could claim 5-10% of Sprite's market share if its marketing connected with target consumers.

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STARRY HAS BEEN THE SPONSOR OF THE THREE-POINT CONTEST SINCE 2022

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Starry replaced Mountain Dew as the NBA Three-Point Contest sponsor in the 2022-23 season.

The partnership gave Starry prime visibility among basketball fans and created opportunities to shape the contest's identity.

Capitalizing on this opportunity, Starry introduced two special "Starry Range" shot balls positioned an impressive 6 feet behind the three-point line, adding an exciting new challenge for participants.

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STARRY CHOSE TO USE HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP AS A SWEETENER

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Unlike Sierra Mist's use of cane sugar, Starry chose high-fructose corn syrup to sweeten its formula.

This shift marked PepsiCo's stance in the sweetener debate—trading the perceived naturalness of cane sugar for corn syrup's lower cost and distinct taste.

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THE RECEPTION TO STARRY'S TASTE HAS BEEN MIXED

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Taste tests revealed sharp differences in how people perceive Starry.

Some drinkers couldn't distinguish it from Sierra Mist, while others say it was similar to Sprite.

Yet most tasters agreed on one point: Starry delivers a stronger citrus punch than Sierra Mist ever did.