What is the business logic behind the limited Summer availability of Mountain Dew’s orange softdrink Livewire?
Is it a marketing gimmick?
Well, there really isn’t a limited availability. I’ve been seeing it available all year round.
It has been my opinion for some time that many of the “new” products we see are the result of manufacturing mishaps being relabeled.
A clog in the caramel color delivery system causes a turn out of a batch of unusually red Dr Pepper? Print up a bunch of “Red Fusion” labels and sell it as something wacky and new.
Maybe this Livewire thing is what happens when they’re actually testing the market viability of a legitimate new product line.
According to Bevnet, the 2003 run lasted through September, and they’re ending it in August this year.
Soda sales peak in the summer, so many beverages are introduced during it. PepsiCo probably market that fact to draw people to it-- a ‘limited time offer’ type affair.
Thanks.
Think about it: you’ve spent all this money developing a cheap clone of Sunkist soda, only it isn’t very good. How will you get people to buy it?
Simple. Slap a Mountain Dew label on it, advertise it as a “limited time only” beverage and watch the money roll in.
Pepsi gets the advantage of extra sales without having to spend all that money building a customer base by just making it intentionally scarce and advertising that fact, driving people to “try it before it’s gone.” If it does well (like Code Red did) they can announce that it’s been “held over by popular demand” and make some more money off of it.
Being a big Dew fan, I tried a Livewire.
If I’d wanted an Orange Crush, I would have purchased one.
IMHO, LiveWire tastes like carbonated orange Kool-Aid; not like Sunkist or Orange Crush at all. Plus, it has caffeine!