Starry is a lemon-lime soft drink distributed in the United States by PepsiCo. Distribution first began in January 2023. The brand is aimed at competing against Coca-Cola's Sprite and Keurig Dr Pepper's 7 Up. In January 2023, Starry replaced Sierra Mist as Pepsi's lemon-lime flavored drink, in part because Sierra Mist failed to gain market share in the growing category.[1][2] Starry contains no caffeine, and as of April 2023 is available in Regular and Zero-Sugar varieties.
History[]
In July 2022, it was reported that PepsiCo purchased a domain name for a new brand of lemon-lime drink that would eventually replace Sierra Mist.[3] The following month, in August 2022, the company filed for a trademark for the brand name Starry as well as for a logo.[4]
A can of Starry Lemon-Lime
The brand began being distributed in stores in January 2023 with marketing geared towards Generation Z.[5][6][7] Bloomberg Businessweek reported industry analysts suggested a successful campaign to grab market share could mean taking 5–10% market share away from Sprite.[8]
Product[]
Starry is sold in cans in either 7.5 ounce or 12 ounce sizes, and in plastic bottles ranging in size from 16 ounces to two liters.[9] Since its inception, Starry has been composed of carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, and various preservatives.[10] Starry uses high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener, unlike Sierra Mist, which was sweetened using cane sugar before it was discontinued.[11]
Reception[]
Reception to the drink on social media suggests many feel that Starry tastes similar to its predecessor Sierra Mist,[12] while others feel it tastes akin to Sprite, the longtime leader of the lemon-lime soft drink market.[13] Starry has been described as having more prominent citrus flavor than Sierra Mist.[11]
- ↑ Simauchi, Kevin (2023-01-11). PepsiCo ends Sierra Mist, launches Starry to take on Sprite (en-US).
- ↑ Snider, Mike. Goodbye, Sierra Mist. Hello to Starry, Pepsi's new lemon-lime soda to take on Sprite (en-US).
- ↑ PepsiCo Launches Starry, A New Lemon-Lime Soda For the Kids, AKA, Gen Z (en).
- ↑ Starry Lemon Lime – Trademark Application of Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company – Serial Number 97534420 (en).
- ↑ Pepsico to Launch New Sprite Competition to Target Gen Z. Ad Age (January 6, 2023).
- ↑ PepsiCo Partners.
- ↑ PepsiCo Launches Starry, A New Lemon-Lime Soda For the Youngsters, AKA, Gen Z | Dieline (October 16, 2022).
- ↑ Pulley, Brett (2023-04-21). Sprite Is So Popular That Pepsi Launched a New Lemon-Lime War (en).
- ↑ Soft Drinks | Beverages.
- ↑ Starry.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Romero, Gabby (2023-04-14). We Taste-Tested Starry And Sierra Mist To See If They're Actually Different (en-us).
- ↑ Pepsi Replaces Sierra Mist with New Citrus Soda Starry (en).
- ↑ RIP, Sierra Mist: Pepsi is ditching it for a new lemon-lime soda (en) (January 11, 2023).