Starry (drink)

Starry is a lemon-lime soft drink distributed by PepsiCo. Distribution began in January 2023. The brand is aimed at competing against Sprite and 7 Up. In January 2023, Starry replaced Sierra Mist as Pepsi's lemon-lime flavored drink, in part because Sierra Mist failed to gain market share in the growing category.^[1][2] Starry contains no caffeine, and as of April 2023, is available in Regular and Zero-Sugar varieties.

Starry

Product type	Lemon-lime soft drink
Owner	PepsiCo
Country	United States (US), Germany (DE)
Introduced	January 1, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-01-01)
Related brands	Sierra Mist (predecessor) Teem Slice
Website	starrylemonlime.com

A can of Starry

History

In July 2022, it was reported that PepsiCo purchased a domain name for a new brand of lemon-lime drink that would eventually replace Sierra Mist.^[3] The following month, in August 2022, the company filed for a trademark for the brand name Starry as well as for a logo.^[4]

The brand began being distributed in stores in January 2023 with marketing geared towards Generation Z.^[5][6] Bloomberg Businessweek reported industry analysts suggested a successful campaign to grab market share could mean taking 5–10% market share away from Sprite.^[7]

Since the 2022–23 NBA season, Starry has been the sponsor of the annual Three-Point Contest as a part of All-Star weekend.^[8] The sponsorship includes naming rights for the contest as well as two special "Starry Range" shot balls placed six feet (1.8 m) behind the 3-point line. This partnership replaces Mountain Dew as the event's previous sponsor and "DEW Zone" as the special shot balls used during the contest.^[9]

Starry is sold in cans in sizes of either 7.5 US fluid ounces (220 ml) or 12 US fluid ounces (350 ml), and in plastic bottles with sizes including 16 US fluid ounces (470 ml), 500 ml, and two liters.^[10] Since its inception, Starry has been composed of carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, and various preservatives.^[11] Starry uses high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener, unlike Sierra Mist, which was sweetened using cane sugar before it was discontinued.^[12]

Variations

Name	Flavor	Availability	Launch Date
Starry Lemon Lime	Lemon lime	Year-round	January 1, 2023
Starry Lemon Lime Zero Sugar	Lemon lime diet soda
Starry Cranberry Blizz Zero Sugar	Cranberry	Seasonal	November 4, 2024

Reception

Reception to the drink on social media suggests many feel that Starry tastes similar to its predecessor Sierra Mist,^[13] while others feel it tastes akin to Sprite, the longtime leader of the lemon-lime soft drink market.^[14] Starry has been described as having a more prominent citrus flavor than Sierra Mist.^[12]

References

1. Simauchi, Kevin (January 11, 2023). "PepsiCo ends Sierra Mist, launches Starry to take on Sprite". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
2. Snider, Mike (January 13, 2023). "Goodbye, Sierra Mist. Hello to Starry, Pepsi's new lemon-lime soda to take on Sprite". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
3. Sanchez, Rudy (October 13, 2022). "PepsiCo Launches Starry, A New Lemon-Lime Soda For the Kids, AKA, Gen Z". Dieline. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
4. "Starry Lemon Lime – Trademark Application of Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company – Serial Number 97534420". trademarks.justia.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
5. Springer, Jon (January 6, 2023). "Pepsico to Launch New Sprite Competition to Target Gen Z". Ad Age. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
6. "PepsiCo Partners". www.pepsicopartners.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
7. Pulley, Brett (April 21, 2023). "Sprite Is So Popular That Pepsi Launched a New Lemon-Lime War". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
8. Martin, Brian. "All-Star 2023: Starry 3-Point Contest brings new twists". NBA.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
9. Kidane, Benyam (February 18, 2023). "What is Starry Range? NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest adds special long-distance shots". Sporting News. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
10. "Soft Drinks | Beverages". www.pepsicopartners.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
11. "Starry". www.pepsicopartners.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
12. Romero, Gabby (April 14, 2023). "We Taste-Tested Starry And Sierra Mist To See If They're Actually Different". Delish. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
13. DeBianchi, Antonia (January 12, 2023). "Pepsi Replaces Sierra Mist with New Citrus Soda Starry". Peoplemag. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
14. Lamour, Joseph (January 11, 2023). "RIP, Sierra Mist: Pepsi is ditching it for a new lemon-lime soda". TODAY.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.