Starry (drink)

Starry is a lemon-lime soft drink created by PepsiCo. Distribution began in January 2023. The brand is aimed at competing against the Coca-Cola Company's Sprite. 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 of lemon-lime drinks.[1][2] Starry contains no caffeine, and as of April 2023, is available in Regular and Zero-Sugar varieties.

History

In July 2022, food blogger SodaSeekers 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]

Starry is sold in cans in sizes of either 7.5 usoz or 12 usoz, and in plastic bottles with sizes including 16 usoz, 500 ml, and two liters.[8] Its syrup is also available in SodaStream devices.[9] Since its inception, Starry has been composed of carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, and various preservatives.[10] Sierra Mist was sweetened using cane sugar before it was discontinued.[11]

Variations

Sponsorship

Starry has been the official soft drink of the NBA, WNBA, and NBA G League since 2023. The spokespeople for the brand have been basketball stars Zion Williamson, Zach LaVine, Klay Thompson, A'ja Wilson,[12] and Giannis Antetokounmpo.[13]

Since the 2022–23 NBA season, Starry has been the sponsor of the annual Three-Point Contest as a part of All-Star weekend.[14] The sponsorship includes naming rights for the contest as well as two special "Starry Range" shot balls placed 6 ft 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.[15]

Reception

Reception to the drink on social media suggests many feel that Starry tastes similar to its predecessor Sierra Mist,[16] while others feel it tastes akin to Sprite, the longtime leader of the lemon-lime soft drink market.[17] Starry has been described as having a more prominent citrus flavor than Sierra Mist.[11]