In a multimillion-dollar gamble, Coca-Cola Co. plans to come out with a new product to compete with Mountain Dew, a high-caffeine citrus soda that has become a big moneymaker for Pepsico.
The new soda, called Surge, will make its television debut during the Super Bowl. The ads will be aimed at the hordes of teenagers and young adults who have helped make Mountain Dew the top-selling beverage of its kind, according to people close to Coca-Cola."Mountain Dew has been a tremendous source of profit for Pepsi and it has had virtually no competition," John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest, told The New York Times for Monday's editions.
Mountain Dew had sales of $3 billion last year.
"For years, Coke bottlers have been saying, `We need something to compete with Mountain dew,' " Sicher said. "Now the Coca-Cola Co. has responded."
The green citrus drink will be high in calories and caffeine like Mountain Dew.
The move marks Atlanta-based Coca-Cola's biggest gamble on a soda brand since its decision in 1985 to replace the Coca-Cola formula with New Coke.
Surge will be a blend of citrus flavors and the 12-ounce cans will have wide mouths, a first for a Coca-Cola product.