Pepsi One challenges cola loyalties
By Julie Hofler
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Diet or regular? Pepsi or Coke? For many cola lovers, it is a matter of taste, the number of calories or loyalty to a particular brand.
But when the cola has one calorie, "tastes like more like a regular cola" and is also free, lifelong preferences may be tossed aside.
Yesterday, Pepsi One's 2001 College Invasion tour stopped in the Newcomb Hall Plaza, and gave out 2,500 sodas to passersby.
But students who missed their free drink yesterday need not worry. The Invasion will continue to dole out the carbonated low-cal brew today from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the plaza. John Snelling, the southeast market manager for the Pepsi One tour, said he expects to distribute about 3,800 sodas today.
"Pepsi One raises a lot of eyebrows," Snelling said of the cola's unique status as a diet drink boasting the taste of a regular soda. Unlike other diet sodas that use NutraSweet, Pepsi One uses a different sweetner, acesulfame potassium, or Ace K.
College males are the target consumer for Pepsi One, Snelling explained. With Pepsi One, "males don't feel like they're drinking diet."
"Diet's a girl thing," said Sarah Thompson, a "sampler" who works for the Pepsi One tour through a modeling agency.
"I'm a Pepsi drinker, always have been," Thompson said. "I've got the right one baby ... uh huh," she sang, mimicking Pepsi's 1980s advertising jingle.
Ordinarily, the Invasion includes Pepsi distribution at a home football game, but Scott Stadium, unlike the rest of the University, is a Coke stadium.
It is common for schools and their stadiums to differ in their cola brand sponsorship, Snelling explained.
A cold quick burst of much-needed caffeine is not the only reward for passing through Newcomb Plaza today. Pepsi One will also be giving out prizes every hour throughout the day, including free T-shirts and inflatable Pepsi One armchairs.
And if just one Pepsi One is not enough, students can feel free to come by for seconds.
"We welcome repeat customers," Snelling said. "We're just here to get the taste out"
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