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This ad is not the first thing that pops into my head when I think of Van Halen, but it’s pretty close:
You can imagine what we all thought back in 1993 when we saw this Super Bowl commercial: “What?!” But then: “Wait, why?”
That about sums up the 90s experience with Crystal Pepsi.[1] But we gotta dive deeper than that if we’re going to pay faithful homage to the decade.
Let’s back up a bit. I am, and have always been, a Pepsi girl, and over the past couple of decades, I’ve felt quite alone. People love their Coca Cola, and I get it. It’s a classic. It feels authentic. Heck, one of its slogans during the 90s was “You can’t beat the real thing.” But it needed that kind of catchy phrase, because at that time, Coke had a serious rival in Pepsi.
Pepsi just seemed to be way more popular back then compared to today. When you heard one cola brand’s name, you instantly thought of the other. It was common to order “a coke” and be told “We only have Pepsi.” Kids lined up to play “Coke and Pepsi” at chaperoned birthday parties. It’s tempting to think Pepsi’s success was attributable to their memorable marketing stints, but the fate of Crystal Pepsi suggests it’s not as clear-cut as that.
The Crystal Pepsi Super Bowl ad contains some clues as to why the company decided to modify its beloved soft drink. The commercial promoted nature over science, people over computers, real over artificial, yada yada yada. It proposed ditching caffeine and preservatives in favor of “change” and “the future.” But . . . I don’t think Pepsi really connected the dots here. I mean, no one asked for this. Sure, people had started caring more about personal health, but no one was walking around saying, “Pepsi would be so much better if you could see through it.” But the commercial, complete with a not-so-subliminal Van Halen endorsement, pumped us up for new, for different, for “right now.”
Cheesy commercial aside, Crystal Pepsi was ultimately a gimmick designed to boost sales. And, initially, it worked. Unsurprisingly, everyone wanted to try it to see whether it tasted the same as traditional Pepsi. Teens chugged Crystal Pepsi at the mall food court. Commuters sipped it in gridlock traffic. Parents packed it in their kids’ lunches.[2] Even Coke fanatics like my sister were excited to check it out.
I was hesitant. I didn’t want Crystal Pepsi to replace the classic version. I was concerned about this uninvited cola cousin from nowhere. But I was curious too. What did Crystal Pepsi taste like? If I closed my eyes, would I know whether I was sipping the spin-off or the original? It upset me to think that the answer could be no.
While I don’t have a perfect memory of the Crystal Pepsi taste, I remember thinking it was close enough to classic Pepsi to legitimize my fears that it would replace it. But, happily, this was one instance in my tween years when I worried for nothing. In the end, Crystal Pepsi amounted to a bunch of hype that died down after a few months. What’s more, it may have jiggered everyone’s love for the O.G., because Pepsi picked itself back up and enjoyed a much better second half of the decade.
How they did that – at least in part – leads me to Marketing Stint #2. In 1996, Pepsi launched “Pepsi Stuff,” which consisted of a “Pepsi Points” catalog where you could peruse and “purchase” Pepsi gear with points obtained from bottles and cans. Items for “sale” included everything from personal attire to vehicles. It was hugely successful, and yours truly played a microscopic part.
You see, Pepsi was more than just my preferred beverage over Coke. It was my go-to quencher between the ages of approximately 7 and 17. That made earning a prize from the Pepsi Stuff catalog an easy win for me. If you count this beauty as a win:
It’s hard to see, but the message on the t-shirt reads “100 Percent Satisfaction Guaranteed.” Such truth! The words were supposed to fluoresce upon washing the shirt, but I never unearthed that magic because the shirt was too big for me when I got it and I didn’t wash it until years later. Today, it’s a great nightshirt when I’m overdue on laundry, but I regret not choosing a cooler item from the Stuff catalog – something that would have made a more notable addition to my 90s reliquary.
But let’s not downplay the shirt. It’s a physical reminder of my – and Pepsi’s – perseverance. I was devoted to the brand and to gathering Pepsi Points, just as Pepsi was set on recovering from its Crystal Clear flop. Both paid off, and the Pepsi Stuff campaign not only solidified my love of the beverage but also taught me the value of loyalty and commitment. After all, when you love something enough, you stick by it. I bet even Van Halen would agree.
[1] One thing that gnaws at me is that I remember the drink as “Pepsi Clear,” but the ad is for “Crystal Pepsi.” Other sources suggest that Pepsi Clear was for a later version launched in Mexico, but I could have sworn that name was used in the 90s as well. Holler if you feel me.
[2] Yet another sign of a different time. You could give your kid soda and no one judged you.