Tuesday, May 07, 2002

First ketchup, now cola: "Pepsi-Cola today unveiled its latest soft drink innovation — a fusion of berry and cola, Pepsi Blue. Providing a whole new beverage experience, Pepsi Blue will be launched nationally in 20-ounce bottles in August. 'With its unique look and taste, Pepsi Blue has the potential to reinvigorate the cola category,' said Gary Rodkin, president and CEO of Pepsi-Cola North America. 'We think Pepsi Blue can do for cola what Code Red did for Mountain Dew — that is, grow the entire category.' 'Pepsi Blue was developed by and for teens,' said Dave Burwick, SVP, marketing, carbonated soft drink brands, for PCNA. 'We talked to thousands of teens about creating a cola fusion, and they told us two things: Make it berry and make it blue. Teens understand fusion better than any other age group. They live it every day — in their music, fashion, and culture.' Nine months in the making, Pepsi Blue was one of more than 100 cola fusion concepts tested by PCNA's innovation and R&D groups. It was the resounding choice among thousands of teens, two-thirds of whom said they would purchase Pepsi Blue regularly when available." Associated Press: "Pepsi announced its new drink a day before Coca-Cola is to showcase a new vanilla version of its namesake beverage." E.G.: Speaking as a five-a-day Diet Pepsi drinker, gag me with a spoon.  And which "berry," anyway?  Perhaps the same Spidey-Berry flavor as Kellogg's current limited-edition Spider-Man cereal and Pop-Tarts? 4:36:07 PM    commentplace ()

Picked up a book at a flea market and noted this: On "the Catholic Church's problem with priests who can't keep their hands off the altar boys: 'Terrible.  They just move them around.  They don't throw them out.  Now they're getting a little smarter, because they're getting sued.  I think, with these problems, eventually the Church is going to have to let the clergy marry.'" —Ann Landers (Eppie Lederer), in a New Yorker profile by Christopher Buckley published in (wait for it) 1995.  Ann Landers knows everything and knew it a long time before you or I did. 7:15:01 AM    commentplace ()