Two hillbillies decided to concoct a mixer for their moonshine. Upon completing the tasty green juice, one said to the other “Hey, it looks like mountain dew”, and that’s how it was named.
Rich heritage aside, Mountain Dew now has a completely different brand essence… Read on to find out what I think it is.
Made by Hillbillies, Just for Skaters
Imagine being in a job brief and getting the following answer when you ask: “So who’s our demographic on the this one?”
“He’s a slightly overweight 14-year old American boy from a wealthy suburb in So-Cal, hasn’t yet started drinking coffee, but drinks two or three Mountain Dews a day between school and daily activities, which include skateboarding, snowboarding, vandalism, meeting friends at malls and playing lots of Grand Theft Auto/Vice City on his PlayStation 3.”
So the TVC is easy. It shows pro skater Paul Rodriguez skating and shredding, which creates green art wherever he goes. Then you get to vote on which new can you like to win some appropriate prizes.
And, skater P-Rod has ‘inspired’ 35 skate shops across the country to design a can for Mountain Dew. Some of the limited-edition gear they have includes a gnarly skate tool (in case you shred too hard), dice that tell you what trick you’re supposed to attempt, and a Nixon ‘Player’ watch or Nixon headphones (a brand totally loved by skaters).
Mountain Dew, Broken Down. SE Asia Logo: Single-minded. A graffiti-esque icon highlighted with green and yellow ‘electricity’ lines on an uncluttered black background. “Hey Dude, you got any MD?”
Coca-Cola may have redefined borderless market penetration, however, this positive brand attribute (at least for shareholders) comes at the expense a brand identity that’s also generalised and universal in its appeal. It means a lot of things to a lot of people, but nothing really specific either…
I was in a brand seminar about Coke and nobody could really define what Coke stood for. Of course while this formula definitely works for this globally loved fizzy water, the breadth of the Coke brand traits are also arguably deleterious to consumer loyalty.
Mountain Dew, on the other hand, aligns itself with a far more specific consumer demographic, being entirely less watered-down in its core definition and caffeinated contents.
Mountain Dew, also known externally as “MD”, is a brand functioning with absolute clarity. Now owned and produced by the Pepsi, rather than hillbillies, MD does not try to be anything it isn’t and lives in the comfortable take-it-or-leave is zone of being a sweet, extra high-caffeine drink with a bold, powerful brand identity and a unique marketing position.
I guess the hillbillies knew they’re doing after all.
Alexander collects skateboards and often skates on weekends.
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Contents: Radioactive green juice. MD has 55 milligrams of caffeine per can, which is 21miliograms more than Coke. MD tastes soft – not dry – the opposite of a hard, mineral taste, Mountain Dew is sweet but not sticky-tasting like Coke, or as fizzy as Coke.
How Much Caffeine?
12-ounce beverage, or as noted—————-milligrams
Red Bull (8.2 oz)——————————————80.0
Jolt———————————————————-71.2
Pepsi One————————————————-55.5
Mountain Dew——————————————-55.0
Mellow Yellow——————————————-52.8
Diet Coke————————————————45.6
Pepsi-Cola———————————————-37.5
Pepsi Twist———————————————-37.5
Diet Pepsi Jazz——————————————37.5
Diet Pepsi————————————————36.0
Coca-Cola Zero—————————————-35.0
Coca-Cola Classic————————————-34.0
Cherry Coke———————————————34.0
Lemon Coke———————————————34.0
Vanilla Coke———————————————34.0
Diet Cherry Coke—————————————34.0
Snapple Flavored Teas (Reg. or Diet)—————31.5
Sprite——————————————————-0
7-Up——————————————————-0
