SunnyD
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SunnyD (aka Sunny Delight) is a popular orange-flavor drink, manufactured until recently by Procter & Gamble. It produced an estimated $450 million in revenue for Procter & Gamble in 2004, and now comes in several different flavors.
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[edit] History
Originally manufactured as Sunny Delight by Doric Foods of Mount Dora, Florida in 1964, it grew so popular that additional plants were built in California and Ohio, in 1974 and 1978, respectively. In 1983, Sundor Brands bought out Doric Foods; Sundor brands was then purchased by Procter & Gamble in 1989. In 2005, Sunny Delight was spun off into the independent Sunny Delight Beverages Company (SDBC). The beverage is distributed by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. (DPSU).
It was launched in 1998 in the United Kingdom with a £10 million promotional campaign, and became the third biggest selling drink in the UK, behind Coca-Cola and Pepsi. It was marketed as a healthy alternative to soft drinks, and was sold in refrigerated cabinets. But this claim was brought in question. Although many consumers may experience visual and olfactory perceptions of the drink as a type of orange juice, the products itself states that it contains only 5% juice, its main ingredients being water, sugar, flavoring and coloring. There were a series of negative press reports following an investigation by the Food Commission, an independent consumer organisation. According to a BBC News report, the negative publicity escalated when a SunnyD ad showing a snowman turn orange was released at about the same time as reports of a girl who turned orange (due to the UK product's use of Beta Carotene for color) after drinking too much Sunny Delight (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3257820.stm). Sales had halved by 2001, and the drink was redesigned and re-launched in 2002 as 'SunnyD'. The new SunnyD claims to contain 15% fruit juice.
Confusion has come about whether or not SunnyD needs to be constantly refrigerated. Reports were published in the UK stating that it had no ingredients that could spoil and did not need to be chilled in the store. People were concerned that Sunny D was trying to pass itself off as a fresh juice product by being sold in the fridge section of stores when it was not a fresh product at all and required no chilling for storage or freshness. SDBC now sells in three product lines, the traditional line, which they claim required constant chilling, and the shelf stable variety, called "Baja", and a third shelf-stable energy drink line. SDBC says all need to be chilled before consumption for best flavor. The three types are marketed so that the shelf-stable variety can be placed among more similar brands and away from refrigerated compartments. This is an advantage for Sunny Delight because it can place its products in more than one location in a store.
Sunny Delight is not suitable for vegetarians and others whose religious preferences don't allow for gelatin[1], although it appears (in the UK at least) that this is no longer the case. [2]
In December 2005 the new owners of SunnyD set up a Parents Advisory Panel in the UK to support the reinvention of the company. These parents now advise the company on all brand decisions with their first real result being the launch of an improved product in June 2006.
In 2006, a six-ton spill of Sunny D juice and concentrate into the River Parrett in the UK raised environmental concerns.[3]
[edit] Advertisements
On September 2006, Loose Moose Animation created a new mascot named Sunny D for the commercials in Fall 2006. It was directed by Ken Lidster.
[edit] Current Flavors
- Tangy Original (Florida Style)
- Smooth (California Style)
- Mango
- Lemonade
- Tangy Original with Calcium
- Fruit Punch
[edit] Discontinued
- Reduced Sugar
[edit] Trivia
- The slogan "Unleash the power of the sun" is quoted by the Neopets website.
- Sunny D is mentioned in the song "Knuckles" by the band The Hold Steady. "I've been trying to get people to call me Sunny D because I've got the good stuff that kids go for. But people keep calling me Five Alive."
- The popular comedian, Kyle Cease does a joke about the Sunny D commercials of the early 90's.
- The BBC Radio 4 comedy series The Now Show had a running gag in one series in which teenagers believed an orange was "a Sunny D plant".
