PURCHASE, N.Y. – June 25, 2007 – Americans are tired of being tired. According to a new survey commissioned by Diet Pepsi MAX, an invigorating zero-calorie cola with ginseng and more caffeine, 84 percent of Americans1 experience a daily “afternoon slump.” They're also having a tough time being discreet about it. More than half of respondents admit to yawning up to five times a day and another 86 percent believe that those yawns are contagious. Diet Pepsi MAX, which arrives on store shelves nationwide this week, plans to do something about it.

“It's evident that Americans are tired and could use an extra kick to help get them through the day,” said Russell Weiner, VP, Colas, Pepsi-Cola North America. “Diet Pepsi MAX was designed to offer a great-tasting solution with a unique formula that invigorates the mind and body, preventing those ill-timed yawns from taking over.”

The yawn is the focus of the advertising and marketing that supports Diet Pepsi MAX. The TV ads, created by BBDO New York, debut nationally today. The :15 and :30 spots, featuring the tag line, "Wake Up, People!," illustrate how Diet Pepsi MAX “stops the yawn,” which can adversely affect both everyday activities and important moments, such as a job interview, a football game or even a wedding.

Additionally, Diet Pepsi MAX has launched a Web site, www.WakeUpPeople.com, which features a “Yawn-a-Thon,” offering a humorous take on telethons. The site also provides the option to send a celebrity wake-up call to a friend from Ben Stein. The site was created by Tribal DDB.
 

Diet Pepsi MAX Survey
According to the survey commissioned by Diet Pepsi MAX (a national consumer poll of 1,102 adults conducted by Harris Interactive), one-third of Americans (31 percent) blame the workplace as the reason for their exhaustion. But America is also transforming the cause into the solution, because half of all survey respondents have caught someone asleep on the job, while 28 percent have confessed to falling asleep at work themselves. The most popular ways respondents overcome their slumps at work include walking around the office (58 percent) and consuming caffeinated beverages (52 percent). The survey also revealed the following:

• About one in five respondents (18 percent) has faked a yawn to get out of a conversation
• Nearly one in ten (8 percent) Americans has yawned while on a job interview
• Half (50 percent) of respondents say they've caught someone sleeping at work
• 54 percent of working Americans say they would take a nap at work to reinvigorate themselves in the afternoon if given permission by their supervisor
• One-third (32 percent) have admitted to yawning on a date
• Nearly one in ten (9 percent) Americans has had a bug fly into their mouth while yawning

Additional survey findings are available upon request.

Available in 20-ounce bottles, two-liter bottles, and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans, Diet Pepsi MAX is sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium. Diet Pepsi MAX joins Pepsi-Cola North America's wide portfolio of 13 colas that includes caffeine-free, diet and flavored versions. The national rollout is supported by a full slate of advertising, marketing and in-store activity.

About Pepsi-Cola North America
Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi-Cola North America (www.pepsi.com) is the refreshment beverage unit of PepsiCo, Inc., in the United States and Canada. Its U.S. brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Aquafina, Sierra Mist, IZZE, SoBe, Mug, Tropicana Twister Soda, Tropicana Juice Drinks, Dole and Ocean Spray single-serve juices. The company also makes and markets North America's best-selling ready-to-drink iced teas and coffees, respectively, via joint ventures with Lipton and Starbucks.

About the Survey
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Diet Pepsi MAX, between May 11 and May 22, among a nationally representative sample of 1,102 U.S. adults ages 18 and older and over-samples among 122 adults in Boston, 180 in Chicago, 179 in Los Angeles, 184 in New York City, and 110 in Washington DC. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

With a pure probability sample of 1,102, one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall national results would have a sampling error of +/- 5 percentage points. The five over-samples would have the following sample errors: Boston +/- 13 percentage points; Chicago +/- 11 percentage points; Los Angeles +/- 11 percentage points; New York City +/- 11 percentage points; Washington DC +/- 13 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on subsamples would be higher and would vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

Contact:
Erin Bobal
Coyne PR
212-938-0166
ebobal@coynepr.com

Michelle Naughton
Pepsi-Cola North America
914-253-2950
michelle.naughton@pepsi.com