New Invigorating Cola with Ginseng and More Caffeine
Hits Shelves this Week
Survey Reveals the News Behind the Slump
PURCHASE, N.Y. – June 25, 2007 – Americans
are tired of being tired. According to a new survey
commissioned by Diet Pepsi MAX, an invigorating zero-calorie
cola with ginseng and more caffeine, 84 percent of
Americans1 experience a daily “afternoon slump.” They're
also having a tough time being discreet about it.
More than half of respondents admit to yawning up
to five times a day and another 86 percent believe
that those yawns are contagious. Diet Pepsi MAX,
which arrives on store shelves nationwide this week,
plans to do something about it.
“It's evident that Americans are tired
and could use an extra kick to help get them through
the day,” said Russell Weiner, VP, Colas, Pepsi-Cola
North America. “Diet Pepsi MAX was designed
to offer a great-tasting solution with a unique formula
that invigorates the mind and body, preventing those
ill-timed yawns from taking over.”
The yawn is the focus of the advertising and marketing
that supports Diet Pepsi MAX. The TV ads, created
by BBDO New York, debut nationally today. The :15
and :30 spots, featuring the tag line, "Wake
Up, People!," illustrate how Diet Pepsi MAX “stops
the yawn,” which can adversely affect both
everyday activities and important moments, such as
a job interview, a football game or even a wedding.
Additionally, Diet Pepsi MAX has launched a Web
site, www.WakeUpPeople.com, which features a “Yawn-a-Thon,” offering
a humorous take on telethons. The site also provides
the option to send a celebrity wake-up call to a
friend from Ben Stein. The site was created by Tribal
DDB.
Diet Pepsi MAX Survey
According to the survey commissioned by Diet Pepsi
MAX (a national consumer poll of 1,102 adults conducted
by Harris Interactive), one-third of Americans
(31 percent) blame the workplace as the reason
for their exhaustion. But America is also transforming
the cause into the solution, because half of all
survey respondents have caught someone asleep on
the job, while 28 percent have confessed to falling
asleep at work themselves. The most popular ways
respondents overcome their slumps at work include
walking around the office (58 percent) and consuming
caffeinated beverages (52 percent). The survey
also revealed the following:
• About one in five respondents (18 percent)
has faked a yawn to get out of a conversation
• Nearly one in ten (8 percent) Americans has
yawned while on a job interview
• Half (50 percent) of respondents say they've
caught someone sleeping at work
• 54 percent of working Americans say they would
take a nap at work to reinvigorate themselves in the
afternoon if given permission by their supervisor
• One-third (32 percent) have admitted to yawning
on a date
• Nearly one in ten (9 percent) Americans has
had a bug fly into their mouth while yawning
Additional survey findings are available upon request.
Available in 20-ounce bottles, two-liter bottles,
and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans, Diet Pepsi MAX is
sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame
potassium. Diet Pepsi MAX joins Pepsi-Cola North
America's wide portfolio of 13 colas that includes
caffeine-free, diet and flavored versions. The national
rollout is supported by a full slate of advertising,
marketing and in-store activity.
About Pepsi-Cola North America
Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi-Cola North America (www.pepsi.com)
is the refreshment beverage unit of PepsiCo, Inc.,
in the United States and Canada. Its U.S. brands
include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Aquafina, Sierra Mist,
IZZE, SoBe, Mug, Tropicana Twister Soda, Tropicana
Juice Drinks, Dole and Ocean Spray single-serve
juices. The company also makes and markets North
America's best-selling ready-to-drink iced teas
and coffees, respectively, via joint ventures with
Lipton and Starbucks.
About the Survey
This survey was conducted online within the United
States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Diet Pepsi
MAX, between May 11 and May 22, among a nationally
representative sample of 1,102 U.S. adults ages 18
and older and over-samples among 122 adults in Boston,
180 in Chicago, 179 in Los Angeles, 184 in New York
City, and 110 in Washington DC. Figures for age,
sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, and household
income were weighted where necessary to bring them
into line with their actual proportions in the population.
Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust
for respondents' propensity to be online.
With a pure probability sample of 1,102, one could
say with a ninety-five percent probability that the
overall national results would have a sampling error
of +/- 5 percentage points. The five over-samples
would have the following sample errors: Boston +/-
13 percentage points; Chicago +/- 11 percentage points;
Los Angeles +/- 11 percentage points; New York City
+/- 11 percentage points; Washington DC +/- 13 percentage
points. Sampling error for data based on subsamples
would be higher and would vary. However, that does
not take other sources of error into account. This
online survey is not based on a probability sample
and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be
calculated.