Spectre Brands

GhostClear cola · Purchase, New York

Crystal Pepsi

Test-marketed from April 1992. National in December 1992. Reformulated and renamed in 1994.

The slogan was “You’ve never seen a taste like this.” A year later, most people had stopped looking.

Why ghost: PepsiCo withdrew the original clear cola in 1994, but it has put the Crystal Pepsi name back on bottles in limited runs: a 2015 sweepstakes, retail releases in 2016 and 2017, and a 2022 contest.1925303234

Rows of Crystal Pepsi bottles in a retail display in August 2016
Back on a shelf, Aug 2016Photo: Mike Mozart, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Trademarks belong to their owners; shown for commentary.
A 20-ounce bottle of Crystal Pepsi held against a blue sky
The 20-ounce bottle, 2016Photo: Smuckola, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Trademarks belong to their owners; shown for commentary.
Store display of Crystal Pepsi bottles under a sign reading Last chance to taste the 90s
“Last chance,” Aug 2017Photo: Forsaken Fotos, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Trademarks belong to their owners; shown for commentary.

Crystal Pepsi was a caffeine-free cola with no caramel coloring, launched nationally with an estimated $40 million of advertising and a Super Bowl spot. Pepsi projected more than 2% of a $47 billion market. By PepsiCo’s own account the brand helped one quarter, softened, and was sent back to be “refined.” This is the post-mortem, built from PepsiCo’s annual reports, the newspapers of the time and the company’s later re-releases.

The product in four numbers

$40M
estimated advertising support for the national launch, as reported by The New York Times and Advertising Age819
2%
of a $47 billion US soft drink market: Pepsi’s own projection for the first national year, about $1 billion at retail8
$474M
the retail value of the one share point that Beverage Digest’s publisher credited to the brand in March 199315
13,000
six-packs given away in December 2015, the first time the name returned25

Key findings

  1. The test markets worked. A grocery clerk in Rhode Island said it was “blowing off the shelves” in May 1992, while one chain sold two-liter bottles for 39 cents with coupons against a usual $1.49.6
  2. Pepsi promised a third cola category. It projected more than 2% of the market in the first national year, about $1 billion at retail, on an estimated $40 million of advertising.8
  3. The boost lasted one quarter. PepsiCo told shareholders the Crystal Pepsi products “particularly aided first quarter results, but did not significantly impact full year profits.”2
  4. It was not Pepsi without the color. Pepsi said so at launch. Its creator later said: “It would have been nice if I’d made sure the product tasted good.”520
  5. The name outlived the drink. PepsiCo brought it back in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2022, each time as a limited release sold on nostalgia.25303234

Post-mortem No. 011 · Every figure links to a numbered source · Derived figures, estimates and unverified claims are labeled

Context

The year everything went clear

Crystal Pepsi was the largest product in a short-lived wave. For about two years, taking the dye out of something was a way to say it was pure.

A flat market looking for a new category

Soft drink sales grew 4% to 6% a year in the 1980s. In 1991 they were generally flat, and some large brands declined.6 Consumers were moving to sports drinks, teas and “New Age” drinks such as Clearly Canadian, which claimed to be all natural.6 The New York Times put the growth of New Age beverages at about 20% a year.8

Colas were about 70% of soft drink sales5, so a cola that borrowed the look of sparkling water was a way to bring the new category to the old one. A Pepsi spokesman described it as taking “a traditional carbonated soft drink” and marrying it “with some of the attributes of the so-called ‘New Age’ products.”12

The market Crystal Pepsi was launched into
$47BUS retail soft drink sales by 1991, according to PepsiCo1
70%share of soft drink sales held by colas5
20%annual growth rate of New Age beverages, as reported in December 19928
4 dozenclear products among 16,790 new food, personal care and household products in 1992, by one trade count14
PepsiCo Annual Report 19921, Associated Press514, The New York Times8.

Clear, 1992–1993

Products named in one Associated Press report in March 1993.

ProductMaker or brandWhat was claimed
Crystal PepsiPepsi-ColaNatural flavoring, no preservatives, less sweetener
Tab ClearCoca-ColaA diet cola, in test in 10 US markets and Britain
Clear dishwashing liquidPalmolive; IvoryTougher on grease, easier on hands
Clear mouthwashLavorisNot stated
Clear solid deodorantBanNo white residue on clothes
Miller ClearMiller BrewingThe industry’s first clear beer, planned for several markets
Associated Press, Mar 8, 1993.14 The editor of New Product News said the deodorants were the only clear products he knew of that could claim transparency as a benefit.

The public is looking for a purer product, but taking the color out doesn’t do that. Benzene or turpentine can be ‘clear’ products.

Gerald Celente, Trends Research Institute, in The Baltimore Sun, Jan 199312

The story

A clear cola, a Super Bowl and a one-quarter boost

Crystal Pepsi did not fail quietly. It tested well, launched loudly and won awards. Then people who had tried it once did not buy it again, and the company that made it said so in its annual report.

Chapter 1 of 6

3,000

taste variations Pepsi said it made over about 15 months before choosing one

CLEAR COLA looks like water
The test-market package included a silver 12-ounce can and clear bottles with a blue and red label.5 Original illustration.

1991 – Apr 1992 · The idea

Three thousand formulas for a slow market

By 1991 soft drinks were a $47 billion retail business in the United States, and PepsiCo told shareholders that “growth had begun to slow down.” Consumers wanted variety, and a category of drinks without preservatives, known as “new age” beverages, was emerging.1 The Los Angeles Times reported that industry sales had grown 4% to 6% a year in the 1980s and were “generally flat in 1991.”6

Pepsi’s answer was a cola with no caramel color. The company said it worked on it for about 15 months, created nearly 3,000 variations and tested with more than 5,000 consumers.5 It rejected dozens of names, among them Pepsi Clear and Pepsi Ice.6 The result had no caffeine and 130 calories per 12-ounce can against 150 for regular Pepsi.5

It’s not just Pepsi without the color.

David Novak, Pepsi-Cola marketing executive, Associated Press, Apr 13, 19925

Chapter 2 of 6

39¢

promotional price of a two-liter bottle at one Rhode Island chain, with coupons, against a usual $1.49

News segment · 1992CBS News on the clear cola test A network news report on the day the test markets were announced. The uploader dates it April 13, 1992, which matches the Associated Press report.537 Watch on YouTube

Apr – Dec 1992 · The test

“Blowing off the shelves”

The test began in April 1992 in Providence, Dallas and across Colorado.5 Pepsi supported it with advertising and with price promotions. Over Memorial Day weekend one grocery chain in Providence sold two-liter bottles for 39 cents with coupons instead of the usual $1.49. “It’s blowing off the shelves,” a clerk in Cranston told the Los Angeles Times.6

The same article carried the warning. The manager of an Albertson’s in Dallas said the drink was selling well and would not last: “People are trained to drink a brown cola, and that’s what they’ll eventually want.”6 Pepsi test-marketed for about six months, added a diet version, and in December announced national distribution.29

Chapter 3 of 6

$40M

estimated advertising support for the national launch

Commercial · 1993The one-minute “Right Now” launch ad Set to Van Halen’s “Right Now.” Pepsi’s national advertising started with Super Bowl XXVII on January 31, 1993.812 The uploader identifies this as the Super Bowl spot; uploaded in 2009.37 Watch on YouTube

Dec 1992 – Mar 1993 · The launch

A Super Bowl, an inauguration and a $1 billion projection

Crystal Pepsi was introduced nationally in the second week of December 1992.8 The following week Coca-Cola unveiled Tab Clear, and Pepsi answered with a number: Crystal Pepsi would take more than 2% of the $47 billion US soft drink market in its first year of national distribution, about $1 billion in retail sales.8 The New York Times put the advertising support at an estimated $40 million, starting with the Super Bowl on January 31.8

The campaign opened on the eve of President Clinton’s inauguration14 and ran in the Super Bowl to Van Halen’s “Right Now” under the line “You’ve never seen a taste like this.”1222 In San Francisco, Pepsi paid nearly $3,000 a month per bus to wrap six buses end to end.13 In December a consumer research firm had named it the best new grocery product of 1992.10

Chapter 4 of 6

1 quarter

the period PepsiCo said the brand “particularly aided”

Film · 1993Saturday Night Live: “Crystal Gravy” The parody, from SNL’s own channel, which labels it Season 19, 1993. The Carroll County Times dates the episode October 2, 1993.3137 Watch on YouTube

Mar – Dec 1993 · The fade

From hot product to punchline

In March 1993 the publisher of Beverage Digest said Crystal Pepsi had earned a full share point, and that a point was worth $474 million at retail.15 The same month the Associated Press reported that clear dish soap, clear mouthwash, clear deodorant and a clear beer were all arriving at once, under the headline that the trend looked like a short-term fad.14

On October 2, 1993, Saturday Night Live ran a commercial parody for a clear gravy.31 PepsiCo’s annual report for the year was plain about it: the Crystal Pepsi products “particularly aided first quarter results, but did not significantly impact full year profits.” Because of “softening trends,” the product was “being refined” and would be “reintroduced in 1994 in a nondiet version only.”2

Chapter 5 of 6

1994

the year the original was withdrawn and replaced by a citrus cola called Crystal

you can see your meat
By late 1993 the clear trend was a television joke: a gravy you could see through.31 Original illustration.

1994 · The rework

The Pepsi name comes off the label

In March 1994 The New York Times described the clear colas as “Pepsi’s most recent gimmick,” one that “has been deemed a dud and is undergoing an overhaul.”18 By July the replacement was reaching stores nationwide: a version with “a citrus cola taste,” aimed at teenagers. The word Pepsi was gone from the name. The label said “From the makers of Pepsi.”19

Advertising Age opened its report with the sentence “The future of Crystal is anything but clear.” There was a single test commercial in four markets and no summer advertising plan.19 PepsiCo’s next annual report listed “significant declines in the Crystal Pepsi brands” in a year when its domestic case sales grew 6%.34 We found no announcement of when the citrus version was dropped.

Chapter 6 of 6

13,000

six-packs given away in the December 2015 sweepstakes

Crystal Pepsi bottles in a cardboard store display with a sign reading Last chance to taste the 90s
A store display in August 2017: “Last chance to taste the 90s.” Photo: Forsaken Fotos, CC BY 2.0.36

2013 – 2022 · The afterlife

A flop becomes a collectible

In 2013 a competitive eater named Kevin Strahle posted a video of himself drinking a 20-year-old bottle. By June 2015 it had more than 11 million views and he was leading a campaign with a petition of more than 33,700 signatures and 15 billboards around Los Angeles.23 PepsiCo wrote back, and in December gave away 13,000 six-packs through its loyalty app.2425

Retail runs followed in the summers of 2016 and 2017, in 20-ounce bottles at $1.79. PepsiCo’s 2017 release called it the “last return.”2932 It was not. In January 2022 the company marked the thirtieth anniversary with a contest for 300 winners.34

Timeline

Thirty-five years, 32 moments

From a slowing soft drink market to a rumor about 2027. Filter by thread.

All 32 events as a list
  1. 19911991
    Market

    A $47 billion market slows

    PepsiCo later tells shareholders that by 1991 US soft drinks were a $47 billion retail business, “but growth had begun to slow down.”1

  2. Early 1991
    Product

    Work begins on a clear cola

    Pepsi says development took about 15 months and nearly 3,000 variations. The start date is derived from the April 1992 announcement.5

  3. Apr 131992
    Product

    Test markets announced

    Crystal Pepsi is to go on sale in Providence, Dallas and throughout Colorado, in clear 16-ounce and 2-liter bottles and silver cans.5

  4. May 1992
    Marketing

    Deep discounts in the test

    A Providence chain sells two-liter bottles for 39 cents with coupons. A Dallas store manager calls the drink “just a novelty.”6

  5. Late 1992
    Product

    A diet version joins

    PepsiCo dates the introduction of both Crystal Pepsi and Diet Crystal Pepsi to late 1992.2

  6. Early Dec1992
    Product

    National introduction

    After test-marketing since April, the regular and diet versions are introduced nationally.8

  7. Dec 141992
    Rivals

    Coca-Cola unveils Tab Clear

    At the Hayden Planetarium in New York. Doug Ivester says “Clear Coke is an oxymoron.” It is a sugar-free diet cola with caffeine.89

  8. Dec 141992
    Marketing

    Pepsi projects more than 2%

    Pepsi says Crystal Pepsi will take more than 2% of the $47 billion market in its first national year, about $1 billion at retail.8

  9. Dec 281992
    Marketing

    Best new product of the year

    Richard Saunders International puts Crystal Pepsi at the top of its “Pure Gold” list of new grocery products. PepsiCo’s annual report says Time also named it one of the year’s best.101

  10. Jan 19931993
    Rivals

    Tab Clear on sale

    In 10 US markets, and in London from mid-January, the first overseas rollout.11

  11. Jan 191993
    Marketing

    Advertising begins

    The campaign starts on the eve of President Clinton’s inauguration.14

  12. Jan 311993
    Marketing

    Super Bowl XXVII

    The national advertising, estimated at $40 million, runs in the game with the theme “You’ve never seen a taste like this.”812

  13. Mar 1993
    Marketing

    Wrapped buses

    Six buses covered end to end in Crystal Pepsi advertising go into service in San Francisco and Oakland, at nearly $3,000 a month each.13

  14. Mar 21993
    Market

    “One share point means $474 million”

    Jesse Meyers of Beverage Digest tells The New York Times the brand earned a full share point. The same article reports the launch of Pepsi Max abroad.15

  15. Mar 81993
    Market

    Clear is called a fad

    The Associated Press counts about four dozen clear products among 16,790 new products in 1992. Miller plans a clear beer.14

  16. Q1 1993
    Product

    The one good quarter

    PepsiCo later says the Crystal Pepsi products “particularly aided first quarter results.”2

  17. Jun 1993
    Decline

    Caught in the syringe hoax

    During a wave of false tampering claims against Pepsi, a California woman admits inventing a report about a can of Diet Crystal Pepsi.16

  18. Oct 21993
    Decline

    “Crystal Gravy”

    Saturday Night Live runs a mock commercial for clear gravy.31

  19. Nov 1993
    Marketing

    An ice rink

    The Crystal Pepsi Ice Skating Rink opens at Universal CityWalk for the holidays, a year after one in San Francisco.17

  20. Nov 1993
    Rivals

    Coke writes the obituary

    Roberto Goizueta is quoted as saying both Tab Clear and Crystal Pepsi “are about to die.” Quoted from a 2018 article citing Adweek.21

  21. Early 19941994
    Decline

    “Softening trends”

    PepsiCo’s 1993 annual report says the product is being refined and will return in 1994 in a nondiet version only.2

  22. Mar 311994
    Decline

    “Deemed a dud”

    The New York Times reports the clear colas are “undergoing an overhaul.” A test commercial for the new version runs in four markets.1819

  23. Jul 1994
    Decline

    Crystal, without the Pepsi

    The citrus cola reformulation reaches stores nationwide, labeled “From the makers of Pepsi,” with no summer advertising.19

  24. FY 1994
    Decline

    “Significant declines”

    PepsiCo’s annual report and 10-K record significant declines in the Crystal Pepsi brands. Its end date is not recorded.34

  25. Dec 20072007
    Product

    “The best idea I ever had, and the worst executed”

    David Novak, by then chief executive of Yum Brands, gives his verdict to Fast Company.20

  26. Feb 20132013
    Revivals

    A 20-year-old bottle

    Kevin Strahle, known as L.A. Beast, posts a video of himself drinking one.2337

  27. Jun 82015
    Revivals

    PepsiCo answers the campaign

    Strahle posts a message from Pepsi: “we think you’ll all be happy with what’s in store.” A spokeswoman confirms it is genuine.2324

  28. Dec 10–112015
    Revivals

    Sweepstakes

    13,000 six-packs are offered through the Pepsi Pass app.25

  29. Jul 11 / Aug 82016
    Revivals

    Back in stores

    On sale in Canada from July 11 and in the United States from August 8, in 20-ounce bottles at $1.79.272930

  30. Aug 142017
    Revivals

    “One last limited time”

    A second retail run follows a three-city Throwback Tour. PepsiCo calls it “Crystal Pepsi’s last return.”32

  31. Jan 42022
    Revivals

    Thirtieth anniversary

    300 contest winners receive six bottles each. The drink is not sold.34

  32. Sep 20262026
    Revivals

    A rumor about 2027

    Social media accounts report a return in May 2027. PepsiCo has not confirmed it.35

Close view of Crystal Pepsi labels on a row of bottles
Aug 2016 The label of the 2016 release, close up.Photo: Mike Mozart, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Trademarks belong to their owners; shown for commentary.

Part 2 of 6

Business

The numbers · Marketing · Rivals

The numbers

What was promised, what was claimed and what PepsiCo reported

There is no sales line for Crystal Pepsi in any PepsiCo filing. What exists is a projection from Pepsi, a share figure from a trade publisher, estimates of the advertising budget, and three years of careful sentences in the annual report. This section keeps them apart.

Four figures, four different kinds of source

$1B
Pepsi’s projection in December 1992: more than 2% of a $47 billion market in the first national year.8
$474M
A trade publisher’s figure in March 1993: the retail value of the one share point he credited to the brand.15 Unverified as a sales total.
$40M
A press estimate of the launch advertising support.819 PepsiCo did not disclose a budget.
0
Sales figures published by PepsiCo for the brand, in dollars or cases, in the 1992, 1993 or 1994 annual reports.123

One year from launch to rework

Crystal Pepsi’s US market share as an index, national launch = 100. The two middle points are from a later newspaper summary, not from PepsiCo.

050100Apr 1992Dec 1992Mar 1993Dec 1993Mid-199412345050100Apr 1992Dec 1992Mar 1993Dec 1993Mid-199412345
  1. Apr 1992 · test markets only On sale in Providence, Dallas and Colorado. No national share; plotted as zero.5
  2. Dec 1992 · national launch Introduced nationally with a projection of more than 2% of the market.8
  3. Mar 1993 · down a quarter Share had fallen 25% from its debut, according to a 2016 summary of 1993 reporting.31 PepsiCo says the brand helped the first quarter.2
  4. Dec 1993 · down by more than half The same summary says more than 50% by year-end; plotted as 50.31 PepsiCo reports “softening trends.”2
  5. Mid-1994 · withdrawn The original is replaced by a citrus cola called Crystal. Plotted as zero.19
Data table
One year from launch to rework
Share index (Dec 1992 = 100)Share index
Apr 19920
Dec 1992100
Mar 199375
Dec 199350
Mid-19940
Index derived from the Carroll County Times / Baltimore Sun, Aug 13, 201631, which summarizes a June 1993 Scripps article we could not open, so the middle points are secondary and unverified. End points are plotting conventions. PepsiCo published no share data.2

A small brand inside a large business

PepsiCo’s domestic beverage sales, and the growth in domestic case sales that the company attributed in part to Crystal Pepsi in 1992 and 1993.

Data table
A small brand inside a large business
PeriodDomestic beverage net sales ($B)Domestic case sales growth (%)
1991$5.2Bn/a
1992$5.5B1%
1993$5.9B3%
1994$6.5B6%
PepsiCo annual reports for 1992, 1993 and 1994.123 In 1992 case sales rose 1%, “driven by gains in the Mountain Dew brands and the new brand Crystal Pepsi” and Lipton tea. In 1993 they rose 3%, and “case sales of the Crystal Pepsi brands offset a decline in brands Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.” In 1994 they rose 6% despite “significant declines in the Crystal Pepsi brands.” Case sales growth for 1991 is not in the reports we read.

The size of the prize, and of the bet

Retail dollars as they were stated in 1992–1994, in $ millions. These are projections, valuations and estimates, not reported sales.

Data table
The size of the prize, and of the bet
Period$ millions
Pepsi’s first-year projection (2% share)1,000
One share point, per Beverage Digest474
Mountain Dew’s growth in 1993, at retail300
Estimated launch advertising40
Projection and advertising estimate: The New York Times, Dec 15, 1992.8 Share point value: Jesse Meyers, quoted in The New York Times, Mar 2, 1993.15 Mountain Dew: PepsiCo says its 11% case sales growth in 1993 “equals about $300 million at retail.”2 The advertising estimate is 4% of the projection and about 8.4% of one share point (derived).

Share points: the target, the claim and the neighbors

Percent of the US soft drink market, as stated in the press.

Mountain Dew, 1994
about 5%
Per PaineWebber analyst Manny Goldman.19
7UP, 1994
about 5%
Per the same analyst.19
Tab at its peak, 1982
4%
Before Diet Coke; under 1% by 1992.8
Crystal Pepsi: Pepsi’s projection
more than 2%
For the first national year.8
Crystal Pepsi: Beverage Digest, Mar 1993
1 point
As stated by its publisher.15
Crystal Pepsi: end of 1993
0.5%
Unverified; from a 2018 article with no primary citation.21
Data table
Share points: the target, the claim and the neighbors
Brand or claimShare of US soft drink marketNote
Mountain Dew, 1994about 5%Per PaineWebber analyst Manny Goldman.
7UP, 1994about 5%Per the same analyst.
Tab at its peak, 19824%Before Diet Coke; under 1% by 1992.
Crystal Pepsi: Pepsi’s projectionmore than 2%For the first national year.
Crystal Pepsi: Beverage Digest, Mar 19931 pointAs stated by its publisher.
Crystal Pepsi: end of 19930.5%Unverified; from a 2018 article with no primary citation.
The New York Times815, Advertising Age19 and Mental Floss21. The figures come from different dates and different speakers and are shown side by side for scale only.

What PepsiCo told its shareholders

Every substantive mention of the brand in three annual reports.

ReportWhat it says about Crystal Pepsi
1992“We introduced brand Crystal Pepsi, a unique-tasting clear cola with 100% natural flavors, no caffeine and no preservatives.” Named one of the best new products of 1992 by Time.1
1993Case sales “offset a decline in brands Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.” The products “particularly aided first quarter results, but did not significantly impact full year profits.” Because of “softening trends,” the product “is being refined and will be reintroduced in 1994 in a nondiet version only.”2
1994Growth was “partially offset by significant declines in the Crystal Pepsi brands.”34

The 1992 and 1993 reports are quoted from scans whose text layer has recognition errors; obvious errors are corrected in the quotations. Sales in dollars or cases, advertising actually spent and any write-off are unknown: PepsiCo did not publish them.

Marketing

The launch was the product

Pepsi treated the introduction as an event: a teaser on inauguration eve, the Super Bowl, a rock anthem, buses wrapped in vinyl and an ice rink. The spending is known only from press estimates.

The campaign in numbers

$40M
estimated advertising support, starting with the Super Bowl on January 31, 1993819
$3,000
nearly this much per bus per month for six fully wrapped buses in the Bay Area, about three times the cost of conventional bus ads13
5,000
consumers, at least, in taste testing before the test market5
$2M
reportedly paid to Van Halen for “Right Now.” Unverified: from a 2021 music site with no primary source22
CLEAR COLA nearly $3,000 a month per bus
Six buses in San Francisco and Oakland were covered from headlights to taillights, windows included.13 Original illustration.

“Right Now”

The commercials borrowed the block-letter captions of Van Halen’s video for “Right Now” as well as the song.22 Eddie Van Halen told Guitar World in 1996 that the band agreed because Pepsi would otherwise have re-recorded the song with studio musicians: “The only reason we gave Pepsi the music was because they were going to use the song anyway.”22

The slogan was “You’ve never seen a taste like this.”12 It promised a new taste and showed a new look, and the gap between the two became the product’s problem.

Documentary · 1992Crystal Pepsi employee training video A sixteen-minute internal tape, according to the uploader: a product backgrounder followed by sales role-plays for handling retailers’ objections. The year is the uploader’s.37 Watch on YouTube

The first comeback was 43 times the size of the latest

13,000 six-packsgiven away in the December 2015 sweepstakes25
=
43 ×anniversary contests of 2022, each (300 six-packs)

Derived 13,000 ÷ 300 ≈ 43. In bottles: 13,000 × 6 = 78,000 against 300 × 6 = 1,800.2534 Volumes for the 2016 and 2017 retail runs were not published.

Data table
The first comeback was 43 times the size of the latest
Value
given away in the December 2015 sweepstakes13,000 six-packs
anniversary contests of 2022, each300 six-packs
Ratio43 (derived)
CNBC, Dec 9, 201525; CNN Business, Jan 4, 202234.

Nostalgia as the second campaign

The revivals were marketed on the 1990s, not on the drink. In 2016 PepsiCo released “The Crystal Pepsi Trail,” an online game styled after 1990s computer games.2731 In 2017 it ran a three-city Throwback Tour at baseball stadiums with Busta Rhymes, Mark McGrath and Salt-N-Pepa.32 In 2022 the price of entry was a photograph of yourself in the 1990s.34

Rivals

The clear shelf, and who is still on it

Coca-Cola’s answer arrived within a week of the national launch and was gone within the year. Its chief marketer later said that was the plan. The products that actually grew in 1993 were not clear.

Six drinks from 1992–1994. Two are still sold.

What each was, and what became of it.

Crystal Pepsi

Ghost
Apr 1992mid-1994
1 point Share credited to it in March 1993.15 Withdrawn in 1994; limited re-releases since 2015.1925

Diet Crystal Pepsi

Dead
1992–1994 Introduced late 1992. PepsiCo said the product would return in 1994 “in a nondiet version only.”2

Crystal (citrus)

Gone
1994 The reformulation, without the Pepsi name.19 We found no record of when it ended.

Tab Clear

Dead
10 cities Launched January 1993.711 Sergio Zyman later said it was dead “within three to five months.”21

Pepsi Max

Survived
1993 Pepsi’s other launch that spring: a sugar-free cola for markets abroad, announced in March 1993.15

Mountain Dew

Survived
+11% Case sales growth in 1993, worth about $300 million at retail by PepsiCo’s estimate.2
Data table
Six drinks from 1992–1994. Two are still sold.
CompanyOutcomeHeadline figureNotesSeries
Crystal PepsiGhost1 pointShare credited to it in March 1993. Withdrawn in 1994; limited re-releases since 2015.0, 100, 75, 50, 0
Diet Crystal PepsiDead1992–1994Introduced late 1992. PepsiCo said the product would return in 1994 “in a nondiet version only.”
Crystal (citrus)Gone1994The reformulation, without the Pepsi name. We found no record of when it ended.
Tab ClearDead10 citiesLaunched January 1993. Sergio Zyman later said it was dead “within three to five months.”
Pepsi MaxSurvived1993Pepsi’s other launch that spring: a sugar-free cola for markets abroad, announced in March 1993.
Mountain DewSurvived+11%Case sales growth in 1993, worth about $300 million at retail by PepsiCo’s estimate.
PepsiCo Annual Report 19932, The New York Times15, Advertising Age19, Los Angeles Times711, Mental Floss21. The Crystal Pepsi sparkline is the derived share index from the numbers section.
Ghost

Crystal Pepsi

Maker
Pepsi-Cola Co. (PepsiCo)
Announced
Apr 13, 19925
Sweetener
Sugar; a diet version followed28
Caffeine
None5
Carries the flagship name
Yes
Launch advertising
Estimated $40M8
Stated ambition
More than 2% of the market8
Outcome
Reworked in 1994; revived as limited releases1932
Dead

Tab Clear

Maker
The Coca-Cola Company
Announced
Dec 14, 19928
Sweetener
Aspartame; no sugar, no calories8
Caffeine
Yes8
Carries the flagship name
No: “Clear Coke is an oxymoron”8
Launch advertising
Not disclosed8
Stated ambition
“The ultimate diet soft drink”8
Outcome
Gone by the end of 1993, by later accounts21
The New York Times, Dec 15, 19928; other rows as cited.

The kamikaze claim

In 1992 Coca-Cola presented Tab Clear as a serious product. Analysts read the choice of the Tab name as caution after New Coke, and one said Coke had “allowed Pepsi to seize the momentum.”8

Years later Sergio Zyman, Coca-Cola’s chief marketing officer, gave a different account to the author Stephen Denny. As quoted by Mental Floss, he said Tab Clear was meant to fail and to take Crystal Pepsi with it by making shoppers think a clear cola was a diet drink: “And we said, ‘No, Crystal Pepsi is actually a diet drink.’ Even though it wasn’t.”21

This is Zyman’s claim about his own intentions, made long after the fact, and it flatters its author. It cannot be tested against sales data, because none was published. What the record does show is that PepsiCo’s own explanation was “softening trends” and a product that needed to be “refined.”2

Pepsi spent an enormous amount of money on the [Crystal Pepsi] brand and, regardless, we killed it.

Sergio Zyman, former Coca-Cola chief marketing officer, in Killing Giants (2011), as quoted by Mental Floss21
Commercial · 1993Coca-Cola’s Tab Clear commercial Tab Clear went on sale in 10 US cities in January 1993.711 Its theme was “It’s Not What You Think!”8 The year is the uploader’s. Watch on YouTube

Part 3 of 6

Brand

Commercials & footage · Brand gallery

Commercials & footage

Right now, and thirty years of looking back

The launch spot, the news report from the first day of the test, the parody, the rival’s ad, and the fan video that brought the name back. Years are the uploaders’ unless a caption says otherwise.

Commercial · 1993The one-minute “Right Now” launch ad Set to Van Halen’s “Right Now.” Pepsi’s national advertising started with Super Bowl XXVII on January 31, 1993.812 The uploader identifies this as the Super Bowl spot; uploaded in 2009.37 Watch on YouTube
News segment · 1992CBS News on the clear cola test A network news report on the day the test markets were announced. The uploader dates it April 13, 1992, which matches the Associated Press report.537 Watch on YouTube
Documentary · 1992Crystal Pepsi employee training video A sixteen-minute internal tape, according to the uploader: a product backgrounder followed by sales role-plays for handling retailers’ objections. The year is the uploader’s.37 Watch on YouTube
Film · 1993Saturday Night Live: “Crystal Gravy” The parody, from SNL’s own channel, which labels it Season 19, 1993. The Carroll County Times dates the episode October 2, 1993.3137 Watch on YouTube
Commercial · 1993Coca-Cola’s Tab Clear commercial Tab Clear went on sale in 10 US cities in January 1993.711 Its theme was “It’s Not What You Think!”8 The year is the uploader’s. Watch on YouTube
Event · 2015L.A. Beast: “Crystal Pepsi Is Back Baby!” Kevin Strahle, whose 2013 video of drinking a 20-year-old bottle started the campaign23, reports a call from PepsiCo. Uploaded December 9, 2015, the day the sweepstakes was announced.2537 Watch on YouTube
Interview · 2021David Novak on Crystal Pepsi (Yahoo Finance) The executive who created the drink discusses it with Andy Serwer. Uploaded August 2021.37 His best-known verdict is from a 2007 interview quoted in the story above.20 Watch on YouTube

Videos are embedded from the services that host them and load only when you press play. YouTube embeds use youtube-nocookie.com. Each video belongs to its uploader or rights holder and is shown here for commentary; we do not host any of the files.

Part 4 of 6

People

People · Press

The people

Who made it, who mocked it, who brought it back

Titles are as given in the sources cited. Later careers are included only where a source states them.

People (7)
Name and roleWhat they didAfterwards
David NovakPepsi-Cola marketing executive; creator of the drink

Introduced it to the press in April 1992: “It’s a unique-tasting product.”5 CNN credits him with the idea.34

Chief executive of Yum Brands, owner of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, by 2007, when he called Crystal Pepsi “the best idea I ever had, and the worst executed.”20
Craig WeatherupPresident and chief executive, PepsiCo’s North American beverage division

Ran the division through the launch and the 1993 syringe hoax.16 In March 1994 he announced freshness dating on cans while the clear colas were being overhauled.18

Brian SwetteSenior vice president of new beverages, Pepsi

Told the Los Angeles Times in 1992: “It is a product based entirely upon consumer needs.”6

Doug IvesterPresident, Coca-Cola USA

Unveiled Tab Clear on December 14, 1992 and ruled out the Coke name: “Clear Coke is an oxymoron.”8

Sergio ZymanChief marketing officer, Coca-Cola

A former Pepsi marketer. He later claimed Tab Clear was a deliberate “kamikaze effort” against Crystal Pepsi.21

Jesse MeyersPublisher, Beverage Digest

Said in April 1992 that a clear cola could expand the whole soft drink business5, and in March 1993 supplied the share figure that became the brand’s best-known number.15

Kevin Strahle (L.A. Beast)Competitive eater and YouTuber

His 2013 video and 2015 campaign, with a petition of more than 33,700 signatures and 15 billboards, preceded the first re-release.2324

The clippings

What they said at the time

Press (9)
It’s not just Pepsi without the color.
David Novak, Pepsi-Cola, Associated Press, Apr 13, 19925
Everyone is desperate for something innovative. But a lot of this is just appealing to consumers’ perceptions. I don’t think it will last.
Martin J. Friedman, editor of New Product News, Associated Press, Mar 8, 199314

  1. Manager of an Albertson’s supermarket in Dallas, Los Angeles Times, May 26, 19926

    People are trained to drink a brown cola, and that’s what they’ll eventually want.

  2. Doug Ivester, Coca-Cola, The New York Times, Dec 15, 19928

    Clear Coke is an oxymoron.

  3. Tom Pirko, Bevmark, on Coca-Cola, The New York Times, Dec 15, 19928

    They have allowed Pepsi to seize the momentum.

  4. PepsiCo, Annual Report 19932

    The Crystal Pepsi products particularly aided first quarter results, but did not significantly impact full year profits.

  5. Advertising Age, Jul 18, 199419

    The future of Crystal is anything but clear.

  6. David Novak, Fast Company, 200720

    It would have been nice if I’d made sure the product tasted good.

  7. Chad Stubbs, Pepsi, press release, Jul 19, 201732. It returned again in 2022.34

    We’re excited to see this special tour come to life and to celebrate Crystal Pepsi’s last return.
A white race car with Crystal Pepsi lettering on a track
Sep 2013 A race car in Crystal Pepsi livery, photographed at a track in 2013. The uploader gives no further details and we have not identified the car.Photo: Lodahln, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Trademarks belong to their owners; shown for commentary.

Part 5 of 6

Verdict

Cause of death · What if · Afterlife

Cause of death

The autopsy

Tap a cause to see the evidence. The percentages are our editorial weighting. The evidence under each one is sourced.

Cause of death, by editorial weight

One square is one percentage point. The weights are our judgment, not a measurement.

  1. 30%A fad that faded
  2. 25%The taste did not match the name
  3. 15%Trial without repeat
  4. 15%Tab Clear and a confused shelf
  5. 15%A promise too large to keep
Data table
Cause of death, by editorial weight
CauseWeight
A fad that faded30%
The taste did not match the name25%
Trial without repeat15%
Tab Clear and a confused shelf15%
A promise too large to keep15%

Clear was a trend across dish soap, mouthwash, deodorant and beer in 1992–1993, and trade observers said in March 1993 that it would not last.14 By July 1994 Advertising Age wrote that consumers “had grown disenchanted with clear sodas.”19 A store manager had said in the first month of the test that it was “just a novelty.”6

Pepsi said it was “not just Pepsi without the color,” less sweet and caffeine-free.5 The name and the look told buyers to expect Pepsi. PepsiCo sent the product back to be “refined,” and its creator later said he should have “made sure the product tasted good.”220

The test was run with deep discounts, down to 39 cents for a two-liter bottle.6 Nationally the brand lifted one quarter and then showed “softening trends.”2 A later summary puts the fall in share at 25% by March 1993 and more than half by year-end (secondary, unverified).31

Coca-Cola put a clear diet cola beside it within weeks.8 Its marketing chief later claimed that the aim was to make shoppers think Crystal Pepsi was a diet drink and to sink both.21 This is his account, not an established fact, and Pepsi’s own diet version blurred the line as well.2

Pepsi projected more than 2% of the market and about $1 billion in the first year, with an estimated $40 million of advertising.8 Against that standard a share point was a disappointment. The same year Mountain Dew, an old brand, added about $300 million at retail.2

Editorial judgment: the weights are an interpretive model by the Spectre Brands editors, not a measured quantity. PepsiCo published no sales figures for the brand, so the evidence is the company’s own wording and the press of the time. How much each cause contributed is a matter of opinion.

The fork in the road

What if…

Three decisions where the story could have gone differently. The “What if” panels are speculation, labeled as such.

What happened

Pepsi considered and rejected dozens of names, including Pepsi Clear and Pepsi Ice, and put its flagship name on a drink with a different formula.65 Coca-Cola refused to do the same: “Clear Coke is an oxymoron.”8 In 1994 Pepsi took its name off the reformulated product.19

What if speculative

Sold from the start as a new drink from the makers of Pepsi, it would have been judged as a light, caffeine-free soda and not as a Pepsi that tasted wrong. It would also have had less attention and a smaller first quarter. The 1994 relaunch tried this, after the curiosity was spent.

What happened

The test ran about six months, partly on heavy price promotion.96 Novak said later that colleagues wanted to stop and address problems: “People were saying we should stop and address some issues along the way, and they were right.”20 The national launch went ahead with an estimated $40 million of advertising.8

What if speculative

A longer test at full price would have measured repeat purchase instead of trial. If the result was what 1993 later showed, Pepsi could have changed the formula before spending the launch budget, or kept the product regional. Coca-Cola’s clear cola might then have reached the national market first.

What happened

The 1992 formula was deliberately different: less sweet, no caffeine, 130 calories against 150.5 When the drink returned in 2015, a reviewer who compared it with regular Pepsi wrote that it “really does taste like normal Pepsi. Well, kind of.”26

What if speculative

A clear cola that tasted exactly like Pepsi would have delivered what the label implied. It would also have had no reason to exist beyond the look, which is roughly what the nostalgia releases are: a novelty sold for a few weeks, with no expectation of a second purchase.

Where is it now

The afterlife

Crystal Pepsi

  1. The name

    Revived, briefly

    Still PepsiCo’s. It has been used for a sweepstakes of 13,000 six-packs (2015), two summer retail runs at $1.79 a bottle (2016, 2017) and a contest with 300 winners (2022).25293234

  2. The original formula

    Replaced

    Withdrawn in 1994 for a citrus cola called Crystal, which carried the line “From the makers of Pepsi.”19 We found no record of when that product ended.

  3. Diet Crystal Pepsi

    Dropped

    PepsiCo said the product would be reintroduced in 1994 “in a nondiet version only.”2 It has not been part of any revival we found.

  4. Tab Clear

    Dead

    Launched in January 1993 and gone within the year by later accounts.1121

  5. The creator

    Promoted

    David Novak went on to run Yum Brands and has discussed the failure in interviews ever since.2034

  6. The next return

    Unconfirmed

    In September 2026 a food site reported a social media rumor of a return in May 2027, in cans and bottles, and noted that PepsiCo had not confirmed it.35 Treat it as unverified.

  7. The idea

    Vindicated, in part

    Fortune noted in 2016 that what ended the original: “Too many me-too products.”29 The premise that some drinkers avoid caramel color returned on its own: in 2015 the soda maker Zevia removed coloring from its whole range.24

One owner, six releases

The name was never sold. What changed was how much of it PepsiCo was willing to make.

  1. Apr 1992

    Pepsi-Cola Co. (PepsiCo)

    Test markets in Providence, Dallas and Colorado.5

  2. Dec 1992

    PepsiCo

    National launch in regular and diet versions, with an estimated $40 million of advertising.8

    $40M est.
  3. 1994

    PepsiCo

    Original withdrawn. A citrus reformulation is sold as Crystal, without the Pepsi name.219

  4. Dec 2015

    PepsiCo

    Sweepstakes through the Pepsi Pass app.25

    13,000 six-packs
  5. 2016 – 2017

    PepsiCo

    Two limited retail runs in the United States, and one in Canada in 2016.273032

    $1.79 a bottle
  6. Jan 2022

    PepsiCo

    Thirtieth-anniversary contest. Not sold.34

    300 winners
  7. Today

    PepsiCo

    No Crystal Pepsi on sale that we could confirm. A 2027 return is rumored and unconfirmed.35

Data table
One owner, six releases
WhenOwnerWhat happenedPrice
Apr 1992Pepsi-Cola Co. (PepsiCo)Test markets in Providence, Dallas and Colorado.
Dec 1992PepsiCoNational launch in regular and diet versions, with an estimated $40 million of advertising.$40M est.
1994PepsiCoOriginal withdrawn. A citrus reformulation is sold as Crystal, without the Pepsi name.
Dec 2015PepsiCoSweepstakes through the Pepsi Pass app.13,000 six-packs
2016 – 2017PepsiCoTwo limited retail runs in the United States, and one in Canada in 2016.$1.79 a bottle
Jan 2022PepsiCoThirtieth-anniversary contest. Not sold.300 winners
TodayPepsiCoNo Crystal Pepsi on sale that we could confirm. A 2027 return is rumored and unconfirmed.
PepsiCo Annual Report 19932, The New York Times8, Advertising Age19, CNBC25, PepsiCo releases2732, Fortune30, CNN34, Sporked35.

Sources & data notes

Show your work

PepsiCo’s annual reports first, then the newspapers and trade press of 1992–1994, then later reporting. PepsiCo’s filings on EDGAR (CIK 77476) begin in 1995, so the 1992 and 1993 annual reports are cited from scanned copies at the Internet Archive.

  1. PepsiCo, Inc. Annual Report 1992, scanned copy at the Internet Archive (full text).
  2. PepsiCo, Inc. Annual Report 1993, Management’s Analysis, Beverages. Scanned copy at the Internet Archive (full text).
  3. PepsiCo, Inc. Annual Report 1994, Management’s Analysis, Beverages. Scanned copy at the Internet Archive (full text).
  4. PepsiCo, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal 1994, filed Mar 28, 1995. The earliest PepsiCo annual report on EDGAR (CIK 77476).
  5. Associated Press, “Pepsi Will Market-Test a Clear-Colored Cola”, Los Angeles Times, Apr 13, 1992.
  6. Los Angeles Times, “Cola by Any Other Name Still Sweet But Sells Better”, May 26, 1992.
  7. Los Angeles Times, “Coca-Cola Unveils Tab Clear” (Other News), Dec 15, 1992.
  8. Adam Bryant, “Coke Adds a Clear Cola To Its ‘New Age’ Stable”, The New York Times, Dec 15, 1992 (archived copy).
  9. Deseret News, “Coke Introduces Tab Clear to Counter Crystal Pepsi”, Dec 15, 1992.
  10. United Press International, “Some New Ideas ‘as Good as Gold’”, Los Angeles Times, Dec 29, 1992.
  11. Associated Press, “London Gets a Taste of New Diet Drink”, Los Angeles Times, Jan 19, 1993.
  12. The Baltimore Sun, “New Age Cola for Super Bowl Sunday”, as carried by the Los Angeles Times, Jan 28, 1993.
  13. Los Angeles Times, “Advertisers’ Next Stop: Painted and ‘Wallpapered’ Buses May Soon Hit Streets of L.A.”, Feb 26, 1993.
  14. Associated Press, “Onslaught of Clear Products Seen as a Short-Term Fad”, Los Angeles Times, Mar 8, 1993.
  15. Michael Janofsky, “Pepsi Tries New Diet Cola Abroad”, The New York Times, Mar 2, 1993 (archived copy).
  16. Los Angeles Times, “Evidence Grows of Hoaxes in Pepsi Tampering”, Jun 17, 1993.
  17. Los Angeles Times, “Smooth Skating”, on the Crystal Pepsi Ice Skating Rink at Universal CityWalk, Nov 26, 1993.
  18. The New York Times, “Pepsi-Cola to Stamp Dates For Freshness on Soda Cans”, Mar 31, 1994 (archived copy).
  19. Emily Denitto, “Pepsi Sees Citrus Appeal in Its Crystal”, Advertising Age, Jul 18, 1994 (archived copy).
  20. Kate Bonamici Flaim, “Winging It”, interview with David Novak, Fast Company, issue 119, dated Dec 19, 2007 online (archived copy).
  21. Jake Rossen, “Fizzled Out: Why Coca-Cola Purposely Designed a Soft Drink to Fail”, Mental Floss, Jun 14, 2018. Quotes Sergio Zyman from Stephen Denny’s book Killing Giants (Portfolio/Penguin, 2011).
  22. Allison Rapp, “Van Halen Wouldn’t Let Crystal Pepsi’s Super Bowl Ad Rip Them Off”, Ultimate Classic Rock, Jan 31, 2021. Quotes Eddie Van Halen from Guitar World, 1996.
  23. Stefanie Tuder, “You Can Thank This Guy If Popular ’90s Drink Crystal Pepsi Returns”, ABC News, Jun 9, 2015.
  24. E.J. Schultz, “Crystal Pepsi Is Poised for a Comeback”, Advertising Age, Jun 9, 2015 (archived copy).
  25. Sarah Whitten, “A six-pack of Crystal Pepsi could be yours...if you win this sweepstakes”, CNBC, Dec 9, 2015.
  26. Tony Merevick, “Taste Test: We Tried the New Crystal Pepsi”, Thrillist, Dec 11, 2015.
  27. PepsiCo Canada, press release, “Celebrate the 90s with Crystal Pepsi: Iconic Clear Cola to Hit Shelves This Summer”, Jun 29, 2016.
  28. CNBC, “Crystal Pepsi: The ‘clear’ ’90s hit makes a return”, Jun 30, 2016.
  29. John Kell, “Crystal Pepsi Is Officially Making a Comeback”, Fortune, Jun 29, 2016.
  30. Michal Addady, “Crystal Pepsi Is Back on Shelves Today”, Fortune, Aug 8, 2016.
  31. Jacob deNobel, “Crystal Pepsi wasn’t popular the first time, so why is it back?”, Carroll County Times / Baltimore Sun, Aug 13, 2016.
  32. PepsiCo, press release, “Crystal Pepsi Throwback Tour Brings Music, Baseball And Iconic Clear Cola To Fans Across The U.S.”, Jul 19, 2017.
  33. Dave Quinn, “Crystal Pepsi Is Coming Back Again in Honor of Its 30th Anniversary”, People, via Yahoo, Jan 4, 2022.
  34. Jordan Valinsky, “Crystal Pepsi is back”, CNN Business, Jan 4, 2022.
  35. Emily Bell, “This Pepsi Flavor Flop Is Slated To Return In 2027”, Sporked, Sep 20, 2026. Reports a social media rumor and says it is unconfirmed.
  36. Wikimedia Commons, search results for Crystal Pepsi photographs. Each photograph used here is credited with its author and license in the gallery.
  37. YouTube upload pages for the videos embedded on this page (upload dates and uploader descriptions), including the one-minute launch ad, the CBS News report, Saturday Night Live’s “Crystal Gravy” and Kevin Strahle’s 2013 video.
Data notes (9)

Data notes

What is measured and what is not: PepsiCo never published sales for Crystal Pepsi. Its annual reports give only direction: case sales “offset a decline” in Pepsi and Diet Pepsi in 1993, showed “softening trends,” and had “significant declines” in 1994.234 Every share or dollar figure for the brand on this page comes from the press and is attributed where it appears.

The $474M figure: Widely repeated as Crystal Pepsi’s first-year sales. The origin is Jesse Meyers of Beverage Digest in The New York Times of Mar 2, 1993: the brand “earned a full percentage point share in the market last year,” and “One share point means $474 million at retail.”15 It is the value of a share point, as stated by a trade publisher, not a reported sales total. National distribution began only in December 19928, so we treat a full year at one point as unverified.

Estimates: The $40 million advertising budget is an estimate reported by The New York Times (“an estimated $40 million in advertising support”) and repeated by Advertising Age.819 The projection of more than 2% of a $47 billion market, about $1 billion, is Pepsi’s own, as reported by the Times.8 The US soft drink market is given as $46 billion, $47 billion, $48 billion and $50 billion in different articles between 1992 and 1994; each is quoted from its source.581819

Unverified or secondary: Unverified: the 0.5% share at the end of 1993 appears in Mental Floss (2018) without a primary citation.21 The fall in share of 25% by March 1993 and more than 50% by year-end is from a 2016 Carroll County Times article summarizing a June 1993 Scripps story we could not open.31 The $2 million reportedly paid to Van Halen is from Ultimate Classic Rock (2021) with no primary source given.22 Roberto Goizueta’s November 1993 remark is quoted from Mental Floss, which attributes it to Adweek.21 Sergio Zyman’s account of Tab Clear as a deliberate “kamikaze” is his own later claim, quoted from Mental Floss, which takes it from the 2011 book Killing Giants; we did not consult the book directly, and Coca-Cola said nothing of the kind in 1992.821 A May 2027 return reported in September 2026 is a social media rumor that PepsiCo had not confirmed.35

Derived figures: Derived: 13,000 six-packs × 6 = 78,000 bottles (2015)25; 300 winners × 6 bottles = 1,800 bottles (2022)34; 13,000 ÷ 300 ≈ 43. Development “about 15 months” before April 1992 puts the start in early 1991.5 The 39-cent promotional price is 26% of the usual $1.49 (0.39 ÷ 1.49).6 $40M ÷ $474M ≈ 8.4% and $40M ÷ $1B = 4%. The decline chart plots the index 100, 75, 50 from the secondary percentages above, with “more than 50%” shown as 50; the zero points before national launch and after the 1994 withdrawal are plotting conventions, not measurements. Domestic beverage profit for 1992 ($687M) is $937M less the reported $250M increase.2

Unknowns: Not found in any source we could open: Crystal Pepsi’s sales in dollars or cases for any year; actual advertising spending; the date the last original bottles shipped; how long the 1994 citrus version, Crystal, stayed on sale; volumes for the 2016 and 2017 retail runs. The first discontinuation is dated to 1994 on the basis of PepsiCo’s 1993 annual report (the product “will be reintroduced in 1994 in a nondiet version only”), Advertising Age in July 1994, and later press that says early 1994.2192934 People magazine instead says it was gone from retailers by late 1993.33

Dates of videos: Years for commercials and news clips are the uploaders’ unless stated. The Saturday Night Live sketch is dated Oct 2, 1993 by the Carroll County Times; SNL’s own upload says Season 19, 1993.3137

General knowledge: Super Bowl XXVII was played on January 31, 1993, and Bill Clinton was inaugurated on January 20, 1993. PepsiCo is headquartered in Purchase, New York. Pepsi Max, Mountain Dew and Sprite are still sold.

Sources we could not open: BusinessWeek’s “Pepsi’s Future Becomes Clearer” (Jan 1993), The Washington Post’s Dec 15, 1992 report on Tab Clear and several 1992 newspaper pages behind paywalls were not retrievable, so nothing here relies on them. Wikipedia was used only to find sources.

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