Beverage giants Pepsi and Coca-Cola have a number of colas that satisfy consumers in three main categories: those loyal to diet products, fans of full-calorie blends and men who want few calories but resist the word "diet."
But success in the mid-calorie market -- characterized by drinks that taste like the real thing but have half the calories and no aftertaste -- has been elusive. Both companies tried last decade -- Coca-Cola with C2 and Pepsi with Pepsi Edge -- but neither drink took off and they were pulled from the market.
Pepsi is trying again with Pepsi Next, a mid-calorie cola it will launch nationally March 26. The company built the product from the ground up, enhancing flavors in different areas to bring out the cola taste as a balance to the 60 percent reduction in sugar, said Angelique Krembs, vice president of Pepsi marketing.
The market, too, has changed since Pepsi Edge was introduced in 2004, with more people saying they want to cut down on their sugar content but are not willing to give it up entirely, she said.
The new drink is targeted at cola fans who, because they can't find a mid-calorie option, have switched to teas or sports drinks.
"If we can get a fraction of that volume, that is good business for us," Krembs said.
Coca-Cola leaders reiterated Tuesday that they have no plans to introduce a new mid-calorie cola. They boast that sales of Coke Zero, their no-calorie offering, have grown over the past 22 months and that Diet Coke last year surpassed Pepsi as the No. 2 best-selling cola. Regular Coke is the segment leader.
"The brands we have are working, and our results demonstrate that," spokesman Scott Williams said.
To boost consumer awareness, Pepsi will roll out a marketing campaign at the brand's launch later this month that includes sampling at 800 Wal-Mart Supercenter stores, TV ads and use of social media such as Facebook.
John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, a leading publication on the industry, said it will be at least a year before there is enough data to determine if Pepsi Next will win a following. Pepsi does have a strong mid-calorie beverage in its G2 sports drink by Gatorade. And while Coca-Cola is not offering a mid-calorie drink in the United States, it is considering a mid-calorie version of Sprite in France.
To make it work, though, Pepsi will have to strongly differentiate Pepsi Next from its siblings.
"If this brand is going to succeed, Pepsi has to very clearly educate what it's all about in its marketing," Sicher said.
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