Pepsi Brings the '90s Nostalgia
Pepsi is bringing back the youth in all of us with its relaunch of Crystal Pepsi and the most ‘90s ad campaign imaginable. Crystal Pepsi was a short-lived wonder, being sold for a couple years starting in 1992, with a brief run in 2015.
The drink, as the name suggests, was clear in color and marketed as a caffeine-free alternative to traditional sodas. With a massive advertising budget at initial release, Pepsi gave out bottles of Crystal with Sunday paper deliveries and shot a Super Bowl commercial featuring Van Halen.
Unfortunately for Pepsi, there wasn’t enough hard rock and glamorous hair to save Crystal. Sales of the soda ceased in 1994. Thanks to social media and nostalgia, however, sodas that once faced the axe have been brought back to life. Crystal Pepsi joins the ranks of Surge, Hi-C Ecto-Cooler and Mountain Dew Pitch Black to see a modern revival.
Pepsi has decided there’s no better way to remind people how awesome ‘90s culture was than to put an entire decade’s worth of cultural references into a single, promotional online game – and making that game the Oregon Trail.
The Crystal Pepsi Trail, as it’s named, tasks the player to “collect as many ‘90s items along the trail as you can with your dawgs,” according to a version of the game shared with Ad Age.
Hit the road with fanny packs, floppy disks and fire mix CDs. Watch out for obstacles on the way such as painfully slow dial-up internet, Tamagotchi deaths by dysentery and awful haircuts. The former host of Nickelodeon’s “Double Dare” even makes an appearance for full ‘90s effect.
Crystal Pepsi will launch Aug. 8 in the States, but the game (which might be better than the drink) can be played starting July 7. Get ready to grab your Furby, your best bucket hat and get radical on the trail.
Published by Void.
