Sierra Mist (History)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Mist#History
Following initial test marketing, PepsiCo first introduced Sierra Mist in 2000, replacing similar soft drinks such as lemon-lime Slice and the test-marketed Storm.
I’m more of a Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper person these days [read: I have a serious addiction and need help], but back in the days of yore before dependency, lemon-lime soda was an occasional special treat that I’d enjoy out at rare excursion to a restaurant, at Disneyland, etc.
While perusing the soft drink aisle in my latest bender-driven shopping trip, I had an epiphany and realized I felt more like drinking something that wasn’t laced with aspartame and caffeine. Blame it on dehydration. (The L.A. heat is getting to me.) While reaching for the Perrier, Sierra Mist caught my eye, and I was suddenly hit with a vague emotional reaction that bordered on… anger? Disdain? Contempt?
Of all the things I could have gotten emotional about that day (and believe me, there were many)…why would it be a soda?
I had to get to the root of it. After I paid for the Perrier and commenced rehydration, I investigated.
And now it’s clear. I remember the hierarchy of lemon-lime sodas from the aforementioned soda habits of my youth: the holy trinity of Sprite, Slice, and 7-Up. 7-Up was the quirky oddball, not usually available in dining establishments, but always the one my mother bought for home. Sprite might have been the King, the ubiquitous public option, but it was more of a catchall standard order at a restaurant. If you ordered a Sprite, the waitress would ask apologetically, “We’ve only got Slice; is that ok?” (AKA, “We’ve only got Pepsi” for ordering a “Coke.”) Now, Slice might have been the also-ran to Sprite, BUT—it really didn’t matter to me which of the three I got. I just wanted the flavor profile I had associated with the excitement of going out and doing something fun.
But in 2000, Sierra Mist replaced Slice. And… whoa. Suddenly the Powers that Be (PepsiCo) had arbitrarily stepped in and said, “Hey! Let us tell you what you’ll like. Here’s a NEW COOL THING that is TOTALLY COOL and looks totally different from the old thing but is WAY BETTER than the old thing and now you TOTALLY want to buy it! Forget the old one, this is NEW and IMPROVED!” OK. 7-Up, Sprite, and… Sierra Mist? OH HELL NO. My world was rocked. And I’ll be fucked if I let someone ruin the superficial, structured understanding of the world that I’ve constructed to serve as a metaphor for emotional stability in my life. Down with change!
Fuck you, Pepsi, I won’t do what you tell me!!!!!!!
The Sierra Mist debacle is the first time I can actively remember becoming aware of being susceptible to pernicious whims of advertising execs, of struggling with identity through the psychological connection with consumer products. It made me reevalutate the things I had come to rely on in my life for comfort, and opened the doors to the great existential angst of finding yourself. Heavy stuff.
And now, I’m going to keep drinking my Diet Coke while I play with my Motorola Droid.
