Soda has been a part of our lives for generations; whether we are drinking it or seeing our favorite
brands on TV, in the cinema or even in video games, soda has become a part of who we are.
However, with so many brands and different types of soda, you may be asking: which is
the best? Well, everyone has their personal favorite but we can tell you which brand is
the most popular. Here are the Top 10 Brands Of Soda In The US.
Fanta
Sometimes a soft drink flavor comes about because of a gap in the market, or because
of extensive market research by the soft drink company. There is, however, another reason
why a soda drink may be released and that is because the company can't make the original
soda. During the second world war, Coca-Cola had difficulties importing their Coca-Cola
syrup to Europe, due to a trade embargo with Germany. Because of this, the head of Coca-Cola
Germany decided to create a new drink. Using what he described as 'the leftovers of leftovers'
for ingredients, Coca-Cola used all their soda making know-how and imagination, hence
the name Fanta which comes from the German Fantasie, to create the next big flavor in
soda. The drink became a success, but once the war was over and Coca-Cola had reunited
all of its European branches, Fanta was discontinued. However, due to Pepsi releasing several drinks
in the 1950s, Coca-Cola decided to rebrand and relaunch Fanta. Now Fanta is one of the
most popular sodas in the world with a variety of flavors.
Diet Dr Pepper
During the 1960s people started to think that their beloved soda may not be the healthiest
option to drink. So, soda companies started to come out with sugar-free and diet variations
of their brands. While Dr Pepper had been a popular soda for decades before, it was
time to launch a diet version for a new world. Unfortunately, the Diet Dr Pepper didn't go
down with customers too well when it was launched, this probably had more to do with the naming
and advertising of the product than anything else. Wanting to stick with a 'doctor' theme,
Dr Pepper released Dietetic Dr Pepper which was a bit of a misstep as many people thought
it was a drink aimed at diabetics. Taking the drink back to the drawing board, they
renamed it Sugar-Free Dr Pepper, which also didn't do so well so they eventually rebranded
the whole drink as Diet Dr Pepper and the rest is history.
Diet Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew has certainly found it's target audience in recent years. Diet Mountain Dew
is aimed at the same market. The young gamers and extreme sports enthusiasts love to pound
back a Mountain Dew or two, so why wouldn't they want a diet version as well? First being
known as Sugar-Free Mountain Dew in the mid-1980s, a name change was decided and Diet Mountain
Dew hit the world to great success. Mountain Dew are experts at bringing out new flavors
and adding to their range, but apart from the original Mountain Dew, Diet Mountain Dew
is one of their most beloved drinks. While Coca-Cola may be a bigger brand than Mountain
Dew, they can't compete with the citrus, extreme side of life as Mountain Dew has done. Unless
of course, you would all rather be drinking Mello Yello? A soda that Coca-Cola tried,
and failed, to break Mountain Dew with. But Dew fans are loyal and will stick with this
brand no matter what.
Diet Pepsi
Another famous diet brand of sodas to hit the top ten popular sodas in the US is Diet
Pepsi. Released back in the early 1960s, Pepsi was one of the first soda companies to really
tap into the 'low sugar' market and appeal to people's new ideas about having less sugar
and caffeine in their diets. Originally tested on the US market as Patio Diet Cola, Diet
Pepsi became one of the first diet sodas to be marketed, not only across the country but
throughout the world and it very quickly became a lot of people's favorite diet soda. Over
the years Diet Pepsi has added many flavors and variations to its diet range, but it's
the original Diet Pepsi that is still proving to be the most popular. In fact, this diet
soda has proved to be the second favorite diet option in the world.
Sprite
With the growing success of Fanta, Coca-Cola, their German branch in particular, wanted
a new flavor of Fanta to compete with the likes of 7UP. Using the lemon and lime flavoring,
Sprite was born and released into the world in the early 1960s. First targeted as an alcohol
mixer, Sprite soon found its audience with the younger generation and has never looked
back. Often voted as one of the world's favorite sodas, Sprite has introduced a lot of variations
over the years to increase its brand and popularity. It’s also worth noting that Sprite Zero
was released in the 1970s which is a whopping 30 years before Coca-Cola introduced the popular
Coke Zero range. Maybe Coca-Cola was testing the market with Sprite before using their
beloved Coke range. Now that is being cautious.
Dr. Pepper
Out of all the sodas on the market, Dr Pepper is probably one of the most mysterious drinks
out there. Because of its very distinct flavor, Dr Pepper has an army of loyal fans. However,
for anyone that has ever tried this soda drink, it is almost impossible to describe. 'It's
kind of like coke, but it's not. It's kind of fruity but it's not.' It's difficult to
describe flavor has actually been one of Dr Peppers best advertising tools as it plays
on the fact that people are unsure about its taste. Much like it's ingredients, the name
Dr Pepper is a bit of a mystery as well. There are many theories and ideas about where the
name comes from but no one is sure. Some theories suggest that it was actually named after a
real Doctor Pepper while another theory is that the company just used the term Dr as
they wanted to give the impression that their drink was healthy and aids in things like
digestion. Whatever the actual origin of the name is or their recipe, Dr Pepper continues
to be one of the most popular sodas in the world and it has been doing so for over a
hundred years.
Mountain Dew
While Mountain Dew as a drink and formula may have been around since the 1940s, the
fact that this citrus-flavored soda drink marketed itself with the gaming and extreme
sports industries was a stroke of marketing genius. Starting out as a mixer for whiskey,
Tennessee bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman developed the drink further after people started
to drink it without alcohol. Using the term 'Mountain Dew,' they trademarked the name
and prepared to change the face of the soda industry. After a fairly slow start, Mountain
Dew was obtained by PepsiCo in the early 1960s. Over the years Mountain Dew has carved out
a niche like no other soft drink company. Not only have they found their perfect target
audience but Mountain Dew has proven to be the masters of advertising in the modern age.
With several promotions such as their DEWmocracy 1 and 2, their Game Fuel line, and their back
by popular DEWmand promotion, Mountain Dew knows how to get their fans involved with
their products and how to create a real buzz. Plus tying in with popular movies, video games
and of course, Taco Bell only strengthens their brand.
Pepsi
In the world of soda, there is an ever ongoing battle for the king of all sodas. Pepsi has
been trying to take the crown from Coca-Cola for generations but more often than not, they
just fall short. Starting out in North Carolina in the late 1890s, Pepsi was actually first
branded under the name Brad's Drink, named after the creator Caleb Bradham who developed
it and sold it in his drugstore. He later renamed it Pepsi-Cola from the Greek word
for digestion. While Pepsi-Cola started to do well across the country, the effects of
the First World War, and in particular the sugar rations, effected Pepsi-Cola to the
point of bankruptcy. Being bought out by candy manufacturers Loft.Inc. Pepsi had a renewed
vigor and one clear goal: to replace Coca-Cola in, not only the candy company stores, but
all stores nationwide. Coca-Cola was actually offered the chance to buy out Pepsi-Cola on
several occasions and each time they refused. After some serious advertising campaigns and
slogans such as 'Pepsi hits the spot,' plus shortening its name and dropping the Cola,
Pepsi found itself back in the race. The 1980s and '90s were big decades for Pepsi
as they tried to take the cola crown from Coca-Cola. With several celebrities and musicians
joining their ad campaigns, plus plenty of product placement in popular films like Back
to the Future, Home Alone, and Wayne's World, Pepsi had found its home among the younger
generation. However, even after all these years, it hasn't managed to topple Coca-Cola.
Still, many people love Pepsi and some even prefer it to Coca-Cola, which is why Pepsi
shouldn't feel too bad for always being the bridesmaid and never the bride.
Diet Coke
The second most popular soda drink in the US and the most popular diet version in the
country is Diet Coke. It may be odd for many people to think this but Diet Coke is actually
one of the youngest drinks on the market. In the early days of sodas, a lot of the big
named brands quickly understood that the world around them was changing. The baby boomers
of the 1960s wanted a healthier soda to drink. While the likes of Pepsi, quickly churned
out a diet version of their popular drinks, Coca-Cola didn't want to. In fact, they didn't
want to use their brand Coca-Cola on any drink that wasn't their flagship soda. However,
given the social pressure of the people wanting a new low sugar drink, Coca-Cola released
Tab. However, at the beginning of the 1980s, Coca-Cola decided to put their trademarked
name on a diet soda, the first time the company had put their name on any other drink since
the release of the very first Coca-Cola the previous century. Thus Diet Coke was born
and so popular did it become that it blew Tab pretty much out of the market within its
first year. Diet Coke quickly found a niche with women and moms. Now, Diet Coke is consumed
by all demographics as it continues to be the benchmark for all diet sodas.
Coca-Cola
Was there any doubt in your mind what the most popular soda drink in the US was? We
didn't think so. Still outselling all brands that come up against it, Coca-Cola is the
most popular and most bought soda drink in the country. There is no doubt that a big
part of Coca-Cola's success comes from the fact that they are one of the most prolific
companies in the world when it comes to advertising. Not only have they run many successful commercials
but they also sponsor pretty much everything. From sporting events such as the Soccer World
Cup, NASCAR, the Olympics and many many more. They also use their brand to sponsor and use
product placement in various TV shows and movies. It also should be noted that Coca-Cola
was the first soda to leave the planet as it was drunk by members of the Challenger
space shuttle. Needless to say that the brand and logo are one of the most recognizable
in the world as well as their great-tasting cola. No wonder Coca-Cola has been king of
the sodas for so many years.
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