If you were a fan of Coca-Cola’s Mr. Pibb drink, the company has good news. It recently announced the return of this product, which was a hit in stores until 2001, when it was discontinued and rebranded as Pibb Xtra. The brand revealed in a press release that, due to popular demand, they have decided to relaunch this product, keeping the cherry flavor that characterizes it, as explained by Dane Callis, an executive at Coca-Cola North America.
This drink, which was once created as a rival to Dr. Pepper, returns with 30% more caffeine and a ‘Pero Sugar’ version. The advertising campaigns include the voice of comedian and actor Roy Wood Jr., social media content, and presence on college campuses as well as at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in Los Angeles. After 25 years, the aisles of supermarkets in Florida, Chicago, Las Vegas, Michigan, and California already have its presence, and it is expected to be in all states of the country by 2026.
Mr. Pibb
In 1972, a caffeinated beverage called Mr. Pibb was launched for the first time in the United States, and some reports said it was direct competition for Dr. Pepper. Either way, the drink was released by the Coca-Cola Company and was a huge success. For 30 years, it was part of the beverages offered in supermarket aisles, until in 2001 it was discontinued and rebranded as Pibb Xtra. Fans of the drink said goodbye to it with sadness, but recently they received good news: Coca-Cola announced the return of Mr. Pibb.
New features
The drink will contain 30% more caffeine than its previous versions, and its flavor has been described by the brand as bold and delicious, with “intensely sweet cherry with hints of caramel and a spicy bite. Mr. Pibb is designed for consumers looking for flavor with a kick,” according to the press release. Coca-Cola North America executive Dane Callis said in the statement, “Consumers have been asking for Mr. Pibb’s bold cherry flavor for some time. If you go on Reddit, X, and other social media, you will find conversations about the mystique of Mr. Pibb. Mr. Pibb has a loyal following, so it’s coming back in a bold and fresh way.”
The Coca-Cola Company will launch two formats: Mr. Pibb and Mr. Pibb Zero Sugar. While the drink will continue to have the same taste and color, a golden touch will be added to the packaging, which, according to the brand, highlights the bold flavor of the renewed drink and its extra caffeine content. “When Mr. Pibb first launched, the packaging didn’t tell consumers what it was — it told them what it was not,” said Callis. “Not root beer, not cola. It’s something unique and original, a bold rebel in a category of norms. Nothing fans know and love about Mr. Pibb has gone away, but we took steps to modernize its look for new consumers’ tastes and preferences”.
Launch campaigns
The product’s return aims not only to satisfy the needs of former consumers but also to reach a generation that never knew the product and for whom it is completely new. To achieve this, advertising campaigns have been launched featuring the voice of comedian and actor Roy Wood Junior. They are also making use of content creation on social media and will have a physical presence at college campuses as well as at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in Los Angeles.
The product will first appear in the markets of Florida, Chicago, Las Vegas, Michigan, and California, reaching the rest of the country in 2026. A.P. Chaney, another Coca‑Cola North America exec., said “This is a brand people know and love, but there is also an entirely new generation that doesn’t know Mr. Pibb exists. The challenge for us, creatively, was to lean into the lore and popularity of the brand while driving awareness and discovery. We tried to marry the old with the new, the fresh and fun with the familiar”.