Pepsi, Inc. caused quite a stir among fans of soda pop when it introduced its newest flavor, Wild Cherry & Cream, available nationwide on January 20, 2025. This new soft drink promises to combine the favorite flavors of wild cherry and creamy vanilla. According to a few reports, it has gone viral across various social media, with all itching to try and taste this new drink.
Flavor profile and appeal
As introduced, Pepsi Wild Cherry & Cream is a sweet and velvety-smooth combination of wild cherry and creamy vanilla, which has been billed to usher in the ultimate soft drink indulgence. The cola starts with a familiar, expected sweetness of wild cherry Pepsi before transitioning to the subtle, creamy vanilla at the back end. This sweet and better, smooth, extra-creamy marriage will please even the most conservative cola consumers and consumers of new flavors alike.
Pretty timely release, some would say that 2025 is a “cherry-coded” year looking at the trends in consumer preference for this flavor. According to Jenny Danzi, head of Pepsi marketing, their Wild Cherry variants have especially performed well among millennials and Gen Z shoppers. That’s an 8% gain in sales year over year. Put differently, Pepsi does not just act based upon the trends but sets up to appeal more to the young generation.
Availability and product options
Pepsi Wild Cherry & Cream will be available starting Jan. 20 in two formats:
- 12-ounce cans: Permanent addition to the Pepsi portfolio of drinks
- 20-ounce bottles: Available for a limited time only, an added convenience for on-the-go consumers.
Both product options will hit the market in regular and zero-sugar versions, catering to health-conscious consumers of all kinds. This release of zero sugar is symptomatic of a wider trend within the beverage industry, where health becomes a significant consideration without neglecting taste.
Social media buzz
Since then, social media has been awash with reactions from fans who are really waiting to have a sip of the new flavor. Most of those have expressed excitement over the creamy twist on the classic cherry flavor, with comments ranging from eagerness in anticipation to playful skepticism over how it stacks up to other cherry-flavored sodas in the market today.
The launch was also accompanied by a marketing campaign using Instagram, TikTok, and other social media sites, directly talking with consumers and creating hype for the launch with tantalizing posts and enticing content. This is in line with the strategy by Pepsi targeting young people who spend more time on social media.
Competitive landscape
In the period leading up to this official launch, Coca-Cola pulled its Cherry Vanilla flavor from the market back in 2024 for reasons of changing consumer preferences. This presents what may turn out to be a window through which Pepsi could take up this part of the market comprising those consumers who loved Coca-Cola’s version but no longer have that option. The launch of Wild Cherry & Cream not only garners that demographic but places Pepsi at the forefront of innovation in terms of flavor combinations within colas.
Furthermore, other critiques equally suggest that Wild Cherry & Cream doesn’t really do anything very different when being compared on a cross-spectrum basis with flavor offerings such as Wild Cherry Pepsi and Pepsi Vanilla. The product also becomes a tactical step for refreshing the brand in its quest to target new consumers looking for another taste sensation.
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