Patio
TypeDiet cola
ManufacturerPepsiCo
Country of origin United States
Introduced1963
VariantsRoot Beer
Orange
Imitation Grape
Imitation Strawberry
Dry Ginger Ale
Dry Club Soda
Dry Tonic Water
Diet Cola
Red Cherry

Patio Diet Cola was a brand of diet soda introduced by PepsiCo in 1963.[1] It was created in response to Diet Rite Cola. Fitness promoter Debbie Drake was Patio Diet Cola's spokesperson;[2] the drink was also marketed as a soda alternative for diabetics.[3]

In 1964, Patio released orange, grape, and root beer flavors. This flavor line was not meant to compete with brands like Orange Crush, but rather fill out the line. Patio sodas were available in the cold-bottle market: grocery and mom-and-pop stores. Advertising for Patio was comparatively scarce; at the time, bottlers were regionally franchised, and related advertising was necessarily local.

In 1964, Patio Diet Cola became Diet Pepsi.[3] The newly branded diet soda was advertised alongside Pepsi,[2] with the tagline "Pepsi either way", which replaced the slogan "Dances with flavor". Most of the remaining Patio line of flavors were phased out by the early 1970s, while a few survived until the mid-1970s.

Patio Red Cherry is currently available (as of August 2023) as a soda fountain drink at Tri-Arc Food Systems, Inc's. franchises of Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits. Tri-Arc is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and their Bojangles franchise locations are found only in North Carolina and southern Virginia. Patio Red Cherry is not a diet soda; it contains 58g of sugar in a 16oz serving.[4][5] However, the "patio" logo on the fountain dispenser is substantially the same as that used on the 12-ounce cans of diet soda from 1972 through 1976 (which were accompanied by a design with spiral rows of balls).[6]

A print ad for Patio appears in the window of the bodega in the opening scene of "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (1995, S03E04), an episode from The X-Files.

The creation of an advertising campaign for Patio was a featured plot of a three-episode story arc in the third season of the AMC television series Mad Men, first mentioned in the episode “Love Among the Ruins" (2009, S03E02). In the next episode, "My Old Kentucky Home" (2009, S03E03), the advertising agency hires an Ann-Margret look-alike. Finally, in "The Arrangements" (2009, S03E04), they use a riff of Ann-Margret's opening number from the film Bye Bye Birdie for their Patio television commercial.[3]

Flavors

  • Diet Cola (became Diet Pepsi in 1964)
  • Root Beer
  • Orange
  • Imitation Grape (later changed to artificially flavored)
  • Imitation Strawberry
  • Dry Ginger Ale
  • Dry Club Soda
  • Dry Tonic Water
  • Red Cherry (contains sugar; not a diet/diabetic soda)

References

  1. ↑ "Iconic Diet Soft Drinks Made Advertising History". beverageworld.com. February 13, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Mad Men's 1960s Handbook - Patio Diet Cola". AMC Networks. August 2009. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Diane Bullock (August 1, 2011). "Top-Selling Soda Brands: Then Vs. Now". Minyanville.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Patio Red Cherry - Tri-Arc Bojangles NC & VA". Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  5. ↑ Johnson, Hollis; Taylor, Kate (12 March 2018). "Bojangles' could be careening towards disaster after an aggressive expansion push — and a trip to the chain reveals why". Business Insider. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  6. ↑ Swain, Steven (24 December 2011). "Patio Red Cherry Soda". flickr. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
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