While transparent-beverage-loving drinkers of every age could enjoy sucking down Crystal Pepsi, Tab Clear, Clearly Canadian, or New York Seltzer in the 1990s, the see-through beverage of choice for harder drinkers was also clear: Zima.
Introduced by Coors in 1993, the sorta-citrusy malt beverage launched with much fanfare; the company spent a massive $180 million to market Zima, promising consumers that it was “zomething different.” No one zeemed to care.
By the time Coors introduced Zima Gold in 1995, the beverage had already become more of a punch line in America—though it would take another 13 years for it to be officially discontinued in the country. “We decided to do Zima Gold, which was a huge disaster,” Pete Coors, MillerCoors’s vice chairman of the board of directors, told Ad Age in 2012. “And then we decided to take the nice fluted bottle and make it into a generic bottle. We killed the brand, frankly.”
But following on the heels of Crystal Pepsi’s 2016 relaunch, MillerCoors thinks Zima is ready to make a comeback. Though few details have yet been revealed, company spokesman Marty Maloney recently confirmed that the beer alternative will be returning to store shelves in the near future, stating that, “If you’re one of the zillion fans who have missed Zima, the answer should be clear.” Zign us up!
[h/t: Ad Age]
February 18, 2017 – 11:00pm