Monday, May 26, 2008

Vote For The Next Dew


In case you haven’t been keeping up on the latest news about Pepsi’s Mountain Dew soda, they have been looking for the next big flavor. After special tie-ins with Halo 3 to create Game Fuel, one of the latest marketing plans was an expansive online experience that allowed consumers to create the next big Mountain Dew flavor. As the dust settled, the three finalists will be officially sold in June and people can vote and campaign for their favorite flavor. They have been hit-and-miss with their other Dew brands, as Code Red, LiveWire, and Baja Blast are the only ones that remained a permanent staple. LiveWire was formerly a limited edition summer flavor before they permanently added it a couple years ago, and Baja Blast is currently exclusive to Taco Bell restaurants. While Pepsi is really pushing the marketing at DEWmocracy.com, let’s take a look at how each flavor stacks up.

The first flavor is called Revolution, ‘Dew infused with wild berry fruit flavor and ginseng’. It pretty much tastes the way it looks. The color is actually more of a light shade of blue, but that doesn’t help the supposed berry taste. Mountain Dew is known for its signature flavor, and Revolution simply doesn’t have it. It tastes like a generic caffeinated soda with no real outstanding flavors. It is reminiscent of your average energy drink flavor but without the extra kick or caffeine that is associated with it. This was the first one I tried, and I couldn’t help but be disappointed.

Voltage was next, which is described as ‘Dew charged with raspberry citrus flavor and ginseng’. The color is a darker shade of blue, which is a good indicator of the flavor. You could actually taste the berry, unlike Revolution. I am not a big fan of raspberries or their flavor, but this wasn’t bad. You could probably call it “Code Blue” and the name wouldn’t be completely out of place. The flavor isn’t overwhelming, but enough to give it a unique taste. I was impressed with Voltage more than Revolution, but it still didn’t leave a strong enough impression to necessarily warrant this as the next Mountain Dew flavor.

I saved Supernova for last, as I had the highest hopes for this one. Called ‘Dew with a blast of strawberry melon flavor and ginseng’, it seemed like the best of the bunch. With a pinkish-red color, it sounded like you couldn’t really go wrong with strawberry. The closest comparison I could make to this is a weaker version of Strawberry Fanta. It somewhat kept its Mountain Dew flavor, but it didn’t really stand out to me. The taste wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t extraordinary, either. After being a little disappointed with the first two, perhaps I set my hopes too high. Or it might be because I’m slightly partial to strawberry flavor. Either way, it didn’t really give me a strong desire to vote and campaign, either.

Overall, all three could have been better. I expected more, especially since the consumers supposedly had a more hands-on role in creating them. If I had to pick one, it would be close between Voltage and Supernova. While I think Voltage had the better overall Mountain Dew flavor, Supenova’s less Dew-like strawberry flavor has me on the fence. They should at least be tried, so you can take on your consumerist duty and vote. While they aren’t supposed to be available until June, I have seen them on sale at Wal-Mart at only 2 for $1. If you try them, be sure to leave your opinions here and tell me what you think.

UPDATE: The polls are in and a winner has been declared. Read more about it here.




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4 comments:

Anonymous,  May 27, 2008 at 3:39 PM  

I'll pick 'em up next time I'm at Wally World...I didn't even know they were testing new flavors

Anonymous,  May 27, 2008 at 6:55 PM  

I'm intrigued...haven't heard of them, but I'll definitely try if I see them.

Anonymous,  May 28, 2008 at 9:48 AM  

Voltage isn't bad -- Revolution/Supernova are full of fail though.

Unknown June 3, 2008 at 7:42 PM  

Voting and campaigning has officially begun. Read more about it here.

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