Why did Pepsi Crystal failed?

How strongly our perceptions of flavor are influenced by color

In 1992, Pepsi launched a new colorless soft drink called "Crystal Pepsi." At that time, it was a trend to launch drinks and products associated with purity and health. Pepsi concluded that a clear, colorless soft drink was the answer. Pepsi marketed the new formula as a pure, caffeine-free alternative to the classic reddish-brown regular colas. At the time, sodas had a negative and unhealthy image, and consumers were turning to healthier alternatives, such as natural juices.

There was a long list of colas, diet colas, caffeinated colas and other beverages on the shelves and Pepsi thought it was a good idea to launch another cola. After a positive response through focus groups testing and market research, ?, the company launched Crystal Pepsi in April 1992. The marketing slogan for Crystal Pepsi was "You have never seen a taste like this." But they didn’t realize that its colorless look would be the main problem.

Although initial sales were promising, consumers were not satisfied with the taste. Sales (about $470 million in the first year) were probably more out of curiosity than anything else. It tasted similar to the original Pepsi. Other colorless soft drinks like 7UP and Sprite had a citrus or lemon flavor, but consumers were not sure what Crystal Pepsi should taste like. There was no similar product to compare it to, which is crucial for our brains to determine the value of something, in this case taste.

The color of food and beverages has a strong influence on the perception of taste and flavors. So if you are toying with the idea of launching a coffee drink with a pink color to make it more fun, think twice, because most people will probably find it tastes like strawberry.

Here are two studies that prove this:

Study #1

D.D. Williamson, “The Color House,” conducted an informal taste test in 2013 with two dozen students. The students, aged sixteen to eighteen years old, were presented with carbonated drinks in three different hues (clear, brown and pink) and asked to describe how each tasted. They were not told that all three beverage samples were actually the same flavor, lemon-lime, in three different colors. Demonstrating yet again that color affects taste perception, an overwhelming majority responded (inaccurately) that the beverages had different flavors.

Clear Soft Drink:?The clear, colorless soft drink was accurately described as having a lemon-lime or citrus flavor by 81% of the teenage taste testers. A small segment said it was flavorless.

Brown Soft Drink:?The brown, caramel-colored soft drink was described as either “sweet” or “fruity” by a one-third (34%) of the students. Cola was the next flavor identified, named by 15%. Nearly half did not offer a specific description of the flavor.

Pink Soft Drink:?The pink, beet-colored soft drink was described as “fruity,” “berry” or “sweet” by more than one-third (38%). Other responses included “cola,” “ginger ale,” and/or flavorless.

Of the three beverages tasted, the teens named Pink as their favorite. Multiple students indicated that the pink beverage was the most flavorful and visually appealing. Note that a very small segment of the students accurately responded that all three beverages tasted exactly the same, despite having different colors.

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Study #2

Brian Wansink did a study at Cornell University Food & Brand Lab where he told the students they were going to judge strawberry yogurt and placed two packagings of strawberry yogurt in front of them.

Then he blindfolded them and instead of giving them the strawberry yogurt he gave them vanilla yogurt mixed with chocolate sauce and told the students they were going to do a strawberry yogurt test. All students reported tasting strawberry yogurt, with many even noting that the yogurt had a "stronger strawberry flavor"

Here is the video: