More than a year after Coca-Cola extended its flagship brand into the growing US energy category with Coca-Cola Energy, PepsiCo has made a similar move with this week's official launch of Mtn Dew Rise. Both brands were created to attract so-called “energy deniers,” who balk at traditional formulations and positioning. Unlike Coca-Cola Energy, Mtn Dew Rise has focused the brand on a specific daypart, with marketing that challenges consumers to “Conquer the Morning.” In an interview, PepsiCo Energy SVP Faby Torres said the largest percentage of energy drink consumption happens in the morning. Rise also ramps up the functionality. The drink contains more caffeine than Monster Energy and includes ingredients for “immune support” and a “mental boost,” as the package states. “We’re going to be competing with the bigger players and energy drinks like Celsius that are trending in the marketplace,” Torres said.

DEW UNCUFFED.  According to Torres, Rise is Mtn Dew’s “first official energy drink.” The launch was made possible by PepsiCo’s acquisition of Rockstar Energy early last year. Under a 2009 master distribution agreement, PepsiCo was unable to boost caffeine levels for Mtn Dew and was limited in the use of packaging to position the brand more broadly within the energy category. Outside of Mtn Dew Amp, which predated the Rockstar agreement, Mtn Dew products also couldn’t be merchandised behind the energy door at retail. Mtn Dew Rise, with twice the caffeine of Amp, will appear in the energy cooler at convenience retail, the most important channel for the category. Coca-Cola Energy has taken a different approach. A 2019 arbitration with Monster Energy greenlighted Coca-Cola to launch an energy cola as long as the product didn’t cross a certain caffeine threshold and contain taurine. As Monster’s global master distributor, Coke has walked a fine line in how it markets Coca-Cola Energy in the energy cooler at retail, given Monster Energy’s importance to Coke’s bottlers. Coke also owns about 19% of Monster.

CAFFEINE ECLIPSES MONSTER.  Packaged in 16-oz cans, Mtn Dew Rise contains 180-mg of caffeine, which is roughly the amount consumed from two cups of coffee. The same sized can of Monster Energy contains 160-mg of caffeine. Coca-Cola Energy, sold in 12-oz cans, contains 114-mg of caffeine (or the equivalent of 152-mg for 16 ounces). Mtn Dew Kickstart contains 92-mg, and Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel contains 90-mg per 16-oz can. Both products will remain on the market. Core Mtn Dew Amp contains between 142mg and 160mg of caffeine, depending on the flavor.

DETAILS: INGREDIENTS, PRICING, PACKAGING.  Mtn Dew Rise is sweetened with fruit juice, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), and aspartame. The drink contains 25 calories per can and 7g of sugar from 5% juice. Cans will call out “no added sugar.” Rise contains citicoline, a chemical found naturally in the brain, according to PepsiCo Senior Principal Scientist Melissa Anderson. As a dietary supplement, citicoline is said to help memory and brain function. The citicoline in Rise will be produced using fermentation. Other ingredients in Rise include Zinc for immunity benefits, antioxidants, and Vitamins A, B and C. The drink will retail for $2.59 per can. Flavors are Pomegranate Blue Burst, Orange Breeze, Strawberry Melon Spark, Tropical Sunrise, Berry Blitz, and Peach Mango Dawn. PepsiCo worked on the brand for a year, starting just prior to the Covid-19 pandemic surge in the US, Anderson said. The Rise package features a stylized lion icon representing the brand, as well as a brighter and lighter color palette intended to stand out in an energy category dominated by heavy colors, Torres said. Instead of repeating the brand logo on the rear of the can, Rise’s package includes a large panel calling out ingredients and the caffeine equivalency to coffee, Torres said.

ENERGY CATEGORY COMPETITION.  Mtn Dew Rise enters a competitive US energy category that grew dollars by +6.9% last year at retail. Following a pandemic year launch for Coca-Cola Energy, the brand ended 2020 with a 0.7 dollar share, placing it just behind fitness energy drink Celsius and Coke-owned Full Throttle.

TRIAL PROMOTIONS.  Rise, leaked on Reddit late last year, has now been launched nationally across all Mtn Dew retail channels and will include aggressive trial promotion at retailers including Walmart and 7-Eleven. Promos will include buy-one-get-one-free deals for two months, and bundled breakfast sandwich deals at 7-Eleven and Circle K, Torres said. Digital platforms, such as the driving app Waze, will be used to direct consumers to the promotions at retail. At Mall of America near Minneapolis, an important Dew heartland market, consumers will be able to use codes at touchless vending machines for a free Rise. The sampling codes are being tested through retail customers, as well, she said.

LEBRON JAMES MOVES TO PEPSICO.  Professional basketball player LeBron James, who left Coca-Cola earlier this year after an 18-year partnership promoting brands including Sprite, has signed on to promote Mtn Dew Rise. Word of the change has circulated for weeks and PepsiCo has now confirmed the news. A digital-led marketing and advertising campaign for Rise will gear up in April, Torres said. PepsiCo made a concerted effort to win James over for the Rise partnership, his first with an energy brand, said Torres, who spent 18 years at Nike, which also counts James as a brand partner. (Torres joined PepsiCo last April after almost three years at Apple-owned Beats by Dr. Dre.) Torres told BD that James’ work with Rise represents the largest portion of deal that will eventually include other beverage and snack brands.