How to rebrand something nobody cares about

4 Tips on How to do a Rebrand RIGHT with Starry (RIP Sierra Mist)

When was the last time you had a Sierra Mist?

Exactly.

It’s probably been a minute and not because you suddenly switched to Sprite.

It’s because Sierra Mist doesn’t even exist anymore.

Pepsi killed it. 

In 2023, PepsiCo announced they’d be retiring the brand in favor of a new soda:

Starry.

And here’s the wild part: it worked. It REALLY worked.

That same year, Starry was the 2nd fastest growing brand in the US (behind ChatGPT, AKA the fastest growing product OF ALL TIME). 

This is…. the art of pulling off a rebrand.

1️⃣. Don’t Be Afraid to Kill Your Darlings.

Before you even think about a rebrand, you have to get comfortable with the idea of sunsetting the old brand.

Introduced in 1999, Sierra Mist was a millennial staple.

But even the best nostalgic products can fall on hard times.

In 2022, Sierra Mist’s share of the soda market had dwindled to just 0.1%, while Sprite held nearly 8%.
Pepsi realized that if they were going to stay alive in the lemon-lime game, they needed to start fresh (ALL puns intended). 

There was no point in holding on any longer.

If they wanted to win, they’d need to lose Sierra Mist, even if it used to be a massive success. 

I say all this to make a point: As Marketers, we’ve all had that 1 idea we just can’t let go of.

The tagline we keep pitching.

The brand identity we swear is ALMOST working.

The dusty campaign we keep reviving, hoping THIS TIME it’ll land.

But sometimes?

You don’t need a refresh.

You need a funeral.

If a product, idea, or brand isn’t working, don’t be afraid to let it go. 

PUT IT IN PRACTICE Like I said, we’ve all got that idea we love too much. And if Sierra Mist can get the axe, so can your dusty tagline. Here’s your homework: Give up. Not on the goal but on the idea that’s not getting you there. The faster you move on, the faster you make room for something that actually works.

2️⃣. Aim for SOMEBODY, not Everybody.

Sierra Mist was a lemon-lime soda for the masses.

You could drink it at a BBQ with your uncle or at a middle school sleepover.

It was safe. 

It was inoffensive.

It was… boring.

Starry? Totally different energy.

Just take a look at this branding. 

What’s the first thing you notice?

The chunky letters? The neon green? The name that sounds like it came from a vape brand or a TikTok username?

Exactly.

Starry doesn’t want to blend in. It wants to be CHOSEN. 

The design isn’t classic, it’s chaotic. The ads aren’t smooth, they’re meme-y. And the tone isn’t polished, it’s weird ON PURPOSE.

This isn’t your dad’s soda. And that’s the point.

A rebrand isn’t about pleasing the crowd. It’s about resonating DEEPLY with a new audience. 

Pepsi decided that new audience would be Gen Z.

But they didn’t stop at branding.

3️⃣. Become One With Culture. 

Could you imagine the work behind changing your own name?

New ID. New email. New Instagram handle.

Anyone that’s gotten married has been through it or their partner has.

And they can tell you: it’s a HASSLE.

You don’t just change your name. You change how you show up in the world.So imagine you’re a billion dollar soda brand and you’ve decided that you need to switch it up. 

But instead of going to the DMV, Social Security office, and a hundred other government forms to change your name you go somewhere else.

You go to cultural icons.

I’m talking about sponsoring the NBA three-point contest.

Doing Super Bowl Ads with Ice Spice.

Showing up in the feeds your audience already scrolls, trusts, and imitates.

Because at the end of the day where clout goes, perception follows.

4️⃣. It’s Now a Whole New Thing.

For years, Sierra Mist was second fiddle to Sprite.

You’ve probably had the interaction:

You ask for a Sprite.

The server responds, “Is Sierra Mist okay?”

And you say, “…Sure.”

That’s what Pepsi was up against. Being the brand that people accepted, but never willingly chose.

So when they launched Starry, they didn’t roll it out quietly.

They went ALL OUT. 

They didn’t just rename the soda, they reintroduced it like it was a whole new product.

Because it is.

With a new name came a new formula along with a new personality and a new audience. By being this bold, Pepsi was saying to the world: We’re not Sprite’s little brother. 

This wasn’t about playing catch-up.

It was about creating something that could finally stand on its own and maybe even steal the spotlight.

And personally, I think they’ve arrived. 

MARKETING CHEAT SHEET (WHAT TO LEARN FROM THIS STORY):

1️⃣. Don’t be afraid to kill your darlings: Pepsi didn’t try to resuscitate Sierra Mist. They gave it a full-on funeral. The brand had been around for decades, but it wasn’t resonating. Market share was basically nonexistent. And instead of trying to revive a flat soda (literally and figuratively), Pepsi pulled the plug. That’s the move most marketers don’t make. We get too attached to taglines, logos, color palettes, or campaigns that used to work. But sometimes, you don’t need a refresh. You need a reset. Starry only existed because Sierra Mist was brave enough to get axed.

2️⃣. Aim for somebody, not everybody: Sierra Mist tried to appeal to the masses. And that made it forgettable. It was the soda you drank when Sprite was out of stock. Starry took the opposite approach. It went full Gen Z: bold visuals, meme-forward tone, and branding that feels more like a TikTok handle than a traditional product. It didn’t care about being safe or broadly liked. It wanted to be chosen by a specific someone. That’s the lesson. Your rebrand doesn’t need to speak to everyone. It just needs to deeply connect with the right people.

3️⃣. Rebrand in Public, Not in Private: Starry didn’t just update its logo and hope people noticed. It launched like a pop star. Super Bowl ads. Ice Spice collabs. NBA activations. It didn’t wait for culture to catch on. It showed up in culture from day 1. A rebrand isn’t finished when the assets are approved. It’s finished when people feel it.

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