Raw, raw for Pepsi-Cola

PepsiCo Inc. is following the industry trend toward offering soft drinks sweetened with cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup.

The international beverage giant last week filed to protect the trademark "Pepsi Raw" in relation to a soft drink that has not yet been released to the consumer market, according to Trademork.com. A March filing with the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office features a similar filing which features a "Pepsi Raw" logo.

The logo, shown in the filing only in the sketchy black-and-white form seen here, obviously needs some work to be glitzy enough for the international market.

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Scotland's other 'national drink' honored

There is no consensus on which of Scotland's many whiskies is the best. But, when it comes to non-alcoholic Scotch drinks, the nation's other national drink has been acclaimed No. 1.

No. 1 in ads, that is, according to the Scottish Advertising Awards which bestowed the title "Best Brand of the Past 21 Years" on IRN-BRU, the iconic and controversial soft drink and hangover cure.

The time frame was not arbitraily chosen. It reflects the 21st anniversary of the awards, run by the advertising industry magazine called Drum.

As noted in the Scotsman newspaper, "Irn-Bru has sparked controversy with a number of its more recent adverts, including a poster depicting an elderly man and his two dogs -- with the strapline 'I love Irn-Bru and so do my bitches' -- and a TV ad that showed a baby at the point of birth being offered a can of the sugary concoction."

Drum editor Gordon Young, director of the awardsm said: "Irn Bru has produced some real cut-through advertising over the years and has really proved what good advertising can do for you."

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A 'wine' for the non-drinker

If you begin seeing something called Cheerwine showing up in the soft drink aisle of your favorite store, don't be surprised.

That's the name of a non-alcoholic drink manufactured in North Carolina, where it has been a local favorite for 90 years.

The Carolina Beverage and Cheerwine Bottling Co., founded in 1917 by the grandfather of current CEO Cliff Ritchie, now is available in 17 states and is selling more than a million cans a year, but the majority of sales are in North Carolina.

Nevertheless, the company continues to look for a larger profile despite the major brands' dominance in the distribution portion of the business, and has just added California to its network.

The company, which has an interesting and irreverent Web site, explains its product this way:

"Did you ever wonder how our delicious 'cherry different' Cheerwine is made? We bet you think it’s a highly automated process, all done by machine and never touched by a human hand! Truth be told, Cheerwine is hand made in small batches everyday, using a secret formula passed down by generations of Cheerwine makers. We still use the original recipe and as you can imagine that recipe remains a guarded secret. Even today Cheerwine is still crafted by a 'Cheer-maker,' a key person responsible for upholding the tradition since 1917.

"So now when you think of Cheerwine, think hand-crafted, think made in small batches, think of the craftsmanship passed down by generations of Cheerwine makers and above all think care and quality. It’s all part of our commitment to 'Protecting Your Right to Drink Cheerwine'."

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20,000 cans under the seam

What can you do with 20,000 empty soda and beer cans?

Never mind, your idea never will top this one.

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Coke researching Chinese herbal drinks

Coca-Cola is doing anything but standing pat. The soft drink global industry leader confirms it has opened a research center in Beijing to partner with a Chinese research center to develop drinks based on Chinese herbal ingredients and formulas.

The facility, called the Coca-Cola Research Center for Chinese Medicine, is a joint venture with the Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences which is the nation's center for research, health care and education in traditional Chinese medicine.

Rhona Applebaum, Coca-Cola's vice president and chief scientific and regulatory officer, and Hongxin Cao, president of the academy, said in a joint statement Sunday that the move connects Coke's global reach and marketing with what Cao called Chinese medicine's "more holistic view on health."

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