Sierra Mist announced that they are going to include "an extra burst of flavor" in their beverage. Then, the other foot drops: but only for the summer. What does this mean? It means one of two things:
1) Sierra Mist is fine as is, and doesn't need an extra jolt. Think Classic Coke vs. New Coke.
2) Sierra Mist is actually ripping off their consumers (I know you're out there somewhere...all five of you), and not giving them the best product for their money.
Check out this irrelevant commercial:
Even if people try Sierra Mist with its extra boost, they are unlikely to continue buying once the extra goodness is gone.
Compare this to products that come out with a low price, hoping to get consumers attached to their product. Early on, people are curious, and willing to take a small risk. Then, when the company jacks the price up to that of the competitors, the new brand's sales drop off almost entirely.
Initially, people built a value for the brand in their mind. Brand XYZ water costs $0.99, they think, I'll try it. The next week, it costs $1.79. "Forget you, XYZ," the consumer says, "I'll go back to Evian, thank you very much."
(Those numbers are fictitious and for demonstration purposes only.)
Is Sierra Mist likely to make any headway on Sprite by their "extra boost" (or whatever they call it)? No. And having the likes of Jim Gaffigan and his zany crew only made for fun creative work, plus an ad agency who will likely get a bunch of awards at the One Show. After all, awards for an agency do not equal money in the advertised brand's bank account.
As a side note, when I went to search for "Sierra Mist," I accidentally typed in "Sprite." Talk about category ownership.
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