Colas get on the Splenda bandwagon

Back in January, adgrunt rjberens posted the question, "What's the truth about Splenda?" and in February, Dab posted about Florida consumers demanding the FTC look into Splenda's deceptive advertising. Currently there are two lawsuits pending. And in the meantime, Pepsi and Coca Cola are jumping on the Splenda bandwagon.

This month Pepsi is re-launching Pepsi ONE which is made from Splenda. They have also given the cans a new black and silver design. One of the more interesting facets of their marketing plan is that they will not be using TV at all in their ad buy. From the press release:

An outdoor, print and radio advertising campaign -- one of the largest non-television campaigns in Pepsi's history -- will support the re-launch of Pepsi ONE with the theme "ONEIFY." The brand has partnered with street artist and designer Geoff McFetridge to create a lineup of fictional characters that illustrate the unifying spirit of Pepsi ONE and the merger of great taste with one calorie. Beyond billboards and print ads, the characters also will appear in webisodes -- short online clips -- on https://www.ONEIFY.com. McFetridge's designs are also featured on Pepsi ONE marketing materials including t-shirts, posters and urban advertisements. The campaign was created by TBWA Chiat Day, Playa del Ray.

Coca Cola is also going to be releasing a version of Diet Coke made with Splenda in April. It will not replace the original Diet Coke though. They are also going to add Coke Zero in June, another no-calorie soda that uses 2 types of artificial sweeteners: aspartame and acesulfame potassium, or ace-K.

With the Splenda suits pending, it's interesting to note that in the Pepsi ONE print ad, they use Splenda's copy points. Most likely this is mandated by Splenda for products that use their sweetener. But it is the basis for call to arms by the sugar industry and Merisant Co., the Chicago company that produces Equal. They aren't disputing that Splenda is made from sugar, but that the advertising implies that Splenda is natural - even though the company, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, does not explicitly make that claim.

Along with a bevy of sugar producers and several individuals, it has sued McNeil to force it to stop associating its product so closely with sugar. McNeil has sued back.
[snip]
"Our contention... is that McNeil has made false claims in its advertising and packaging of Splenda," said Jeff Leshay, an outside spokesman for Merisant.

Splenda - Think Sugar - 2003
Splenda think sugar>

If the Merisant camp does end up winning their suit, it will be interesting to see how, if at all, it will effect the brands like Pepsi and Coke that are using Splenda's key marketing and advertising phrases "made from sugar so it tastes like sugar."