Since its first launch in 1984, Slice beverages have quickly become popular around the world with their unique fruit juice flavor and have become one of the most popular soft drinks at the time. Slice was originally created to replace PepsiCo's Teem brand, but in just a few years it became a star brand of the 1980s and was deeply rooted in the hearts of consumers.
Slice's uniqueness lies in the fact that it claimed to have added 10% fruit juice, which was rare in the market at the time.
Slice's history began in 1984 when its lemon-lime flavored drink quickly became a competitor to Sprite and 7 Up. Slice's advertising slogan "We got the juice" has attracted widespread attention from young consumers, and the addition of juice makes it stand out among many soft drinks. The success of Slice has led to other brands launching similar juice blends, including Coca-Cola's Minute Maid orange soda and Cadbury Schweppes' Sunkist.
By 1987, Slice had a 3.2% market share in the U.S., though as competition intensified, that figure dropped to 2.1% the following year. By 1988, the juice content of Slice began to decrease, the advertising slogan was changed to "Either you got it or you don’t", and the apple and cherry cola flavors were discontinued one after another.
In 1990, Slice completely redesigned its packaging, gradually reducing the juice content to make the brand's image in the market more in line with consumer trends at the time.
As time went on, Slice introduced a series of new flavors in the early 1990s, including strawberry, pineapple, juice blend and grape, and began to use the character Fido Dido in advertisements, attracting more young consumers. . In the early 2000s, PepsiCo began to reorganize its brand, and the impression of Slice gradually faded in the minds of consumers.
In 2008, Slice re-entered the market, this time with a mango flavor for the Indian market, and quickly became a well-known brand in the region. Subsequently, PepsiCo launched a series of new products in an attempt to reshape Slice's image in different markets. However, this series of products did not perform well in the US market and was eventually withdrawn completely in the late 2000s.
In 2018, the new Slice Ventures LLC acquired the rights to the Slice trademark and began to relaunch organic juice-based drinks, a strategy that rekindled hope for the brand.
In recent years, the return of the new Slice Ventures has brought Slice back into the consumer's field of vision, launched a variety of new flavors, and is trying to enter the market with a health orientation. Products featuring natural and low sugar content are gaining more and more attention, which may be the key to Slice's resurgence.
SummaryFrom its debut in 1984, to its gradual fading in the 2000s, to its brand rebirth in 2018, Slice's journey has been full of twists and turns and challenges. This is not just a story about a beverage, but also a microcosm of how a brand survives and transforms in the market. How will Slice gain a foothold in the fiercely competitive beverage market in the future? This makes people think deeply.