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NEW YORK — "Mtn Dew" is getting a makeover, with the word "mountain" reappearing on cans and bottles following a roughly two-decade-long hiatus.
The PepsiCo-owned beverage unveiled a new logo and packaging design Wednesday that drops its sharply angular font and abbreviated title for imagery that evokes its rustic roots, as well as bringing back its namesake title to cans and bottles. Consumers will see the new look roll out beginning next May.
The changes come amid slowing demand in North America for PepsiCo's beverages, and, more specifically, a sharp decline in volume for Mountain Dew, which have fallen 7% in the first half of 2024, according to figures provided to CNN from Beverage Digest, a trade publication.
"Mountain Dew appears ready to shake off the adrenaline rush that has defined the brand's marketing for almost two decades, when a key strategy was to market Dew like an energy drink to an energy drink crowd," Duane Stanford, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, told CNN.
Dew's new look
Tapping into nostalgia, the new logo marks the return of "mountain," which was dropped in 2009 as part of a larger rebrand of PepsiCo's soda portfolio, which also included a refreshed look for now-defunct Sierra Mist.
Spelling out the word mountain is a "direct link to the origins of the brand, which is the mountains and the outdoors," said Mauro Porcini, senior vice president and chief design officer at PepsiCo, who led the redesign. A nod to its founding date of 1948, when it was created as a mixer in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains, was also added to the logo.
Hardcore Dew fans might recognize the new logo slightly resembles the logo used in the 1990s, but Porcini told CNN that it's "modernized and projected to feel the three-dimensionality" of the words, giving it a more current look with softened angles.
Other touches include a leaf to dot the "i" and a mountainous background with citrus-inspired yellow hues, which Porcini said connects with the beverage's fruity flavor.
"In the previous design, we were not very clear in communicating the refreshment cues," Porcini admitted. "It was more about the energy of the sharp angles exploding on the can."
Mountain Dew has long been marketed as an energy drink because of its sugar and caffeine content, but the new look is meant to conjure up a "different kind of energy that's coming from the outdoors," Porcini said.
The soda brand recently brought back its famous "Do the Dew" tagline and introduced the Mountain Dude, a new character that encourages Gen-Z to peel their eyes from screens and enjoy the outdoors.
A major change in marketing is essential for Mountain Dew. PepsiCo has "little choice" but to improve its sales since the beverage is one of its biggest brands, Stanford said. PepsiCo also owns Rockstar Energy and has a half-billion-dollar investment in Celsius, a trendy energy drink brand, so "the need for Dew to compete as an energy brand isn't as critical."
Soda slump
Rolling out a refreshed look comes amid a tough time for soda manufacturers. Drinkers are shifting their preferences away from sugary sodas and toward sparkling waters, hydration beverages and "better-for-you" alternatives.
PepsiCo cut its full-year revenue outlook Tuesday, partially because of slower volume for its North American beverage unit. "The cumulative impacts of inflationary pressures and higher borrowing costs over the last few years have continued to impact consumer budgets and spending patterns," said PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta in a statement.
Plus, smaller rivals like Poppi and Olipop are growing in popularity and distribution, with the latter brand recently releasing a Mountain Dew-like flavor of its own called "Ridge Rush" — also featuring mountains on its cans.
The new look for Mountain Dew is more about an "evolution and nurturing that we wanted to give to this beloved franchise," said JP Bittencourt, vice president of marketing at Mountain Dew. "This design has been in the works for some time, so this is not a response to anybody."
A rebrand could also attract drinkers that have perhaps forgotten about Mountain Dew. Bittencourt told CNN that the brand saw "huge lifts with our most ardent fans and, equally important, with those who have not tried us in some time."
