Virgin Cola
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section appears to contradict itself. Please help fix this problem. |
| Virgin Cola | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Cola |
| Manufacturer | Virgin Drinks |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1994 |
| Variants | Diet Virgin Cola |
| Related products | Coca-Cola Pepsi Cott |
Virgin Cola is a carbonated cola soft drink produced by Princes limited. It was launched in 1994.
[edit] History
Virgin Cola was set up during the early 1990s in conjunction with Cott, a Canadian company that specialises in bottling own-label drinks. Cott was looking for a major international brand that could have global appeal.
In typical Virgin jokey fashion, when first launched the 500ml bottles were marketed as "The Pammy", as their curves were designed to resemble Pamela Anderson who was at the height of her popularity in the UK at the time.[1]
Within a few months of its release, Virgin Cola had a 50% market share in the outlets that sold it. It went on to be launched in France, Belgium, and South Africa. In its first year more than 500 million units were sold worldwide.[citation needed] However, its popularity soon waned. It is also served on Virgin Atlantic flights and sold in the on-board shops on Virgin Trains. The Gulliver's Kingdom chain of theme parks in the UK also sells post mix Virgin cola.
In the United States, a national roll out was planned for 2005, six years after Virgin cola had first been launched in the UK. For the launch, Richard Branson rode into New York's Times Square atop a tank wearing girlies underwear, promising a battle with Coke and Pepsi. Virgin Cola flopped, however, and disappeared from the US market almost immediately.
