Pepsi Sales Bubble with Limited Edition Soft Drinks

Case Summary: Pepsi and its partner in the Japanese beverage market, Suntory, are using limited edition soft drinks to boost market share and increase sales gaining edge on its competition, Coca-Cola. Because the Japanese market is challenging, introducing a new product is very difficult. Consumers in the Japanese market would rather hunt limited-edition products make specifically for certain seasons, regions, or reasons. Others have been successful with this type of marketing there so Pepsi decided to launch its new strategy marketing limited-edition soft drinks. With it first launch the company sold out within weeks demonstrating its effectiveness. Various brands of limited-edition beverages were launched including Pepsi Blue, Pepsi Red, Carnival and Ice Cucumber, all were successful in the company’s new marketing strategy. Pepsi’s strategy is to create a unique flavor that will be approved by the mass and not to reintroduce it to the market, keeping limited-edition truly “limited”. Not only is this strategy effective in the Japanese market, it is all well in the U.S. The appeal to consumers is the value as a collector’s item, due to their novelty, rather than a beverage that is to be guzzled down.

Personal Case Analysis In review of the case with Pepsi and Suntory, I learned that Pepsi and Suntory have an effective marketing strategy with the limited-edition line of products. This strategic plane creates a demand amongst consumers as collectibles, not just a soda. The limit of four per year is so the strategy is not overused. This new campaign has skyrocketed sales for Pepsi and has kept it as a major competitor in the beverage market. New editions are being launched constantly.

Key Marketing Issues

Positioning/repositioning – the process by which marketers