Starry (drink)

Starry is a lemon-lime soft drink distributed by PepsiCo. Distribution began in January 2023. The brand is aimed at competing against Sprite and 7 Up. In January 2023, Starry replaced Sierra Mist as Pepsi's lemon-lime flavored drink, in part because Sierra Mist failed to gain market share in the growing category. Starry contains no caffeine, and as of April 2023 is available in Regular and Zero-Sugar varieties.

History

In July 2022, it was reported that PepsiCo purchased a domain name for a new brand of lemon-lime drink that would eventually replace Sierra Mist. The following month, in August 2022, the company filed for a trademark for the brand name Starry as well as for a logo.

The brand began being distributed in stores in January 2023 with marketing geared towards Generation Z. Bloomberg Businessweek reported industry analysts suggested a successful campaign to grab market share could mean taking 5–10% market share away from Sprite.

Since the 2022-23 NBA season, Starry has been the sponsor of the annual Three-Point Contest as a part of All-Star weekend. The sponsorship includes naming rights for the contest as well as 2 special "Starry Range" shot balls placed 6 feet behind the 3-point line. This partnership replaces Mountain Dew as the event's previous sponsor and "DEW Zone" as the special shot balls used during the contest.

Starry is sold in cans in either 7.5 ounce or 12 ounce sizes, and in plastic bottles ranging in size from 16 ounces to two liters. Since its inception, Starry has been composed of carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, and various preservatives. Starry uses high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener, unlike Sierra Mist, which was sweetened using cane sugar before it was discontinued.

Reception

Reception to the drink on social media suggests many feel that Starry tastes similar to its predecessor Sierra Mist, while others feel it tastes akin to Sprite, the longtime leader of the lemon-lime soft drink market. Starry has been described as having a more prominent citrus flavor than Sierra Mist.

References

1. Starry
2. List of lemon-lime drink brands
3. Sierra Mist
4. List of brand name soft drink products
5. List of soft drinks by country
6. Sprite (drink)
7. Pepsi
8. List of assets owned by PepsiCo
9. Slice (drink)
10. Jägermeister
11. Storm (soft drink)
12. Shani (drink)
13. Sting Energy
14. List of soft drink flavors
15. Rockstar (drink)
16. Teem
17. Upper 10
18. Cola wars
19. Wishful Drinking
20. Mountain Dew Amp