PepsiCo has a new Sprite fighter in its arsenal.
Starry, a lemon-lime soda said to be replacing the beleaguered Sierra Mist, has begun showing up in retail stores over the past few days.
Online soda sleuths have been on Starry’s tail since August, when PepsiCo first registered the Starry trademark and Starrylemonlime.com domain names. The drink was presented to convenience store operators at a National Association of Convenience Stores conference in October. This week, Starry began arriving at retail stores including Kroger, Circle K and Walmart, according to multiple internet posts. The drink comes in regular and zero-sugar versions.
VaynerMedia has the creative account, and Mrs&Mr did the design, according to people familiar with the matter. PepsiCo has held off on publicly discussing launch details, but a spokeswoman said information would be released shortly.
The brand is figuring in PepsiCo’s retail promotions around the Super Bowl, but would not be getting a Super Bowl commercial, according to people familiar with the matter.