Pepsi's Newest Soda Was Made To Be The Sprite Killer

In a bid to better compete against Sprite, Pepsi released a new lemon-lime flavored soda, Starry, to replace Sierra Mist (per CNN). The outlet notes that Sprite has consistently outpaced Sierra Mist and with interest in lemon-lime sodas increasing consistently since 2019 (per PR Newswire), the company opted to launch the new brand.

In addition to crafting a new lemon-lime formulation for the soda, Pepsi is also planning to increase interest in Starry through its packaging. "With one product dominating the category, consumers deserve another option...one that hits different. STARRY is bright, optimistic, and rooted in culture and fun," said Greg Lyons, Chief Marketing Officer at PepsiCo Beverages North America (via PR Newswire).

According to CNN, the consumer population that Pepsi is specifically targeting with its marketing is, no surprise here, Gen Z. "The design of Starry is much more aligned with the Gen-Z aesthetic, which is bright, fun, whimsical, Instagramable, than many of Pepsi's other offerings," Neil Saunders, managing director of retail for GlobalData told CNN.

Pepsi touts its newest caffeine-free lemon-lime beverage as being well-balanced in terms of sweetness and citrus flavor. "With STARRY, we were able to create a game-changing recipe with the perfect balance of lemon lime flavor and sweetness compared to the competition," said Danielle Barbaro, Vice President R&D at PepsiCo Beverages North America (via PR Newswire).

But do early reviewers agree? YouTube product reviewer Jason Mazurak compared both the zero-sugar and regular versions of Starry to 7UP and Sprite. Mazurak noted limited differences between the two versions of Starry and preferred either of them over 7UP. While he noted that if he were in an establishment that solely served Pepsi products he would choose Starry, ultimately Sprite slightly edged out over the top of Starry in terms of flavor.

Meanwhile, on The FIZZ: Soft Drink Reviews the overarching theme was that the flavors of Starry and Sprite are similar with Starry coming in as marginally sweeter. However, he also notes that Sprite is somewhat more fizzy. Mark Borison, self-described soda sommelier, also tasted both versions of Starry, indicating that they both smell good, are appropriately carbonated, and have a fresh citrusy flavor. He then did a blind taste test against both Sprite and 7UP ultimately determining that his hands-down favorite was Starry.

While the early reviews on flavor aren't across-the-board over the moon for Starry, it remains to be seen if its packaging will "hit different" like the company claims its new soda will.