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Watch out, Dr. Pepper: Mr. Pibb is in the house. After almost 25 years, Coca-Cola announced in late October that its bringing back Mr. Pibb, its spicy cherry soda that first launched in 1972. If you were born after the turn of the century, chances are you may have never seen a can of Mr. Pibb. That’s because, in 2001, Coca-Cola renamed and rebranded the drink to Pibb Xtra, and its remained largely untouched since then. Now, Coca-Cola is giving Mr. Pibb another chance. The company is reformulating the beverage, adding extra caffeine, and giving the entire brand a makeover. Its new branding is a combination of burgundy, red, and black, complete with an eye-catching gold exclamation point and a few subtle callbacks to Mr. Pibb’s ’90s look. Mr. Pibb will fully replace Pibb Xtra across the U.S. by 2026, according to A.P. Chaney, Coca-Colas head of creative for sparkling flavors. Mr. Pibbs big return is Coca-Colas bid to cash in on the spicy cherry beverage category, which Chaney says is now the third-largest sparkling soft drink sector. With its added caffeine content, Mr. Pibb is also playing into the current interest in functional beveragesand the brand itself is adding a distinctly bold new voice to Coca-Colas portfolio. [Image: The Coca-Cola Company] A new, highly caffeinated contender enters the chat Growing up in the 90s, Chaney remembers watching Mr. Pibb commercials on TV. Now that the spicy cherry segment is trending up, she says, it felt like the perfect time to introduce a new generation to the soda millenials and Gen Xers remember from yesteryear. But the flavor profile isn’t quite the same as what it once was, either. Mr. Pibbs new formulation is a bolder version of what Pibb Xtra was, according to Chaney. The drinkwhich will come in both regular and zero sugar iterationsis an intense cherry flavor layered with notes of caramel. The real change to the drinks composition is its added caffeine: Mr. Pibb will come with 30% more caffeine than Pibb Xtra, at 54 milligrams of caffeine per serving (about the same as a cup of coffee). Its a move that reflects the fact that functional has become something of a buzzword in the beverage industry, wherein add-ins like prebiotics, adaptogens, and caffeine serve as added selling points for bringing a certain beverage into a customer’s daily routine. The caffeine is going to be a differentiator, specifically in this spicy cherry segment, Chaney says. [Image: The Coca-Cola Company] Coca-Cola spices up Mr. Pibbs The brands new look and voice are intended to call back to Mr. Pibbs original identity, while also bringing new soda drinkers into the fold. Mr. Pibbs chunky, bold font is a reference to its 90s eras cans. Its burgundy, cherry red, and black color palette is also pulled from the brands original packaging. But one of the most striking elements of the can design is entirely new: a bright gold exclamation point in place of the i in Pibb, which Chaney explains is specifically engineered to grab shoppers attention in stores. We were really trying to cue what makes sense: Like, is it a formal Mr. Pibb or is it just Mr. Pibb, the homie? There were all these different personas we were trying to figure out, Chaney says. That comes through in the fontMr. Pibb feels more accommodating and amicable in terms of the logo, but then you have the jagged edges that make it rebellious and bold, so you’re kind of bringing in these two different personalities. Mr. Pibb is a brand thats not afraid to mess around and crack a few jokesand thats how fans can expect it to show up going forward. [Image: The Coca-Cola Company] Coca-Cola is for everyone, as it should be, and it’s about uplift and it’s a beautiful and historic brand, Chaney says. Mr. Pibb is a challenger, and it’s an up-and-comer. We have more room to play in terms of how we show up and where we show up. We can make mistakes in ways that other brands can’t outside of Coca-Cola. Plenty of brands are actually playing into some level of marketing brashness lately, in a trend that Fast Company has previously termed “DGAF branding.” In an era when platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok are both shortening our attention spans and informing our collective senses of humor, it makes sense for brands like Nutte Butter, Duolingo, and Sour Patch Kids to take a few risks with their positioning. It’s rarer to see a major legacy brand like Coca-Cola play into these internet-informed trendsand, to be clear, Mr. Pibb’s marketing is fairly tame compared to the aforementioned examples. Still, the Mr. Pibbs rebrand is clearly tapping into the zeitgeist by embracing a more unexpected sense of humor. [Image: The Coca-Cola Company] That spicy brand personality shines in a series of new ads for the soda. The team turned to old Mr. Pibb adswhich had a bold tone and often included the slogan, Mr. Pibb: Put it in your headfor inspiration. Chaney says that while most soda ads today focus solely on getting viewers to fall in love with the liquid, Coca-Cola wanted Mr. Pibb to have a bit more personality. She describes the spots tone as like if Reese’s and Arbys had a baby. In one spot with more than five million views on YouTube, narrated by actor Roy Wood, shots of Mr. Pibb are accompanied with the voiceover, Most sodas call it at a reasonable hour. Thats when Mr. Pibb is just getting started. When Mr. Pibb texts, U up? its not a questionits a promise. Mr. Pibb, apparently, is a soda brand thats not afraid to send a casual booty call.
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E-Commerce
Three paintings from famously chill public television legend Bob Ross sold Tuesday for more than $600,000 at auction. The paintings were the first of 30 Ross works being sold to benefit public TV stations hurt by cuts in federal funding.At the live auction at Bonhams in Los Angeles, a serene, snow vista called “Winter’s Peace” that Ross painted entirely during a 1993 episode of “The Joy of Painting” went for $318,000 to a bidder on the phone.“For a good cause and you get the painting,” auctioneer Aaron Bastian said during the bidding. He invoked a common sentiment of Ross, who died in 1995, during a brief lull. “Bob would remind you that this is your world, and you can do anything you want.”Another painting done on a 1993 episode, a lush, green landscape called “Home in the Valley,” went for $229,100. A third, “Cliffside,” sold for $114,800.The final prices include a charge for the auction house added to the final bid known as the buyer’s premium. The identities of the buyers weren’t immediately revealed.Bids for all three paintings went well past pre-auction estimates of their value, which topped out around $50,000.Three more Ross paintings will be up for auction at Bonhams in Marlborough, Massachusetts, on Jan. 27, with others to follow in New York and London.All profits are pledged to stations that use content from distributor American Public Television.Ross, a public television staple in the 1980s and ’90s, was known for his dome of hair and warm demeanor.The special sales seek to help stations in need of licensing fees that allow them to show popular programs that along with Ross’ show include “America’s Test Kitchen,” “Julia Child’s French Chef Classics,” and “This Old House.” Small and rural stations are particularly challenged.The stations “have been the gateway for generations of viewers to discover not just Bob’s gentle teaching, but the transformative power of the arts,” Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc., said in a statement.As sought by the Trump Administration, Congress has eliminated $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting, leaving about 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations.Ross died at age 52 of complications from cancer after 11 years in production with the therapeutic how-to show, “The Joy of Painting.” The former Air Force drill sergeant was a sort of pioneer, known for his calm and calming manner and encouraging words.Ross spoke often as he worked on air about painting happy little clouds and trees, and making no mistakes, only “happy accidents.”He has only became more popular in the decades since his death, and his shows saw a surge in popularity during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrew Dalton, AP Entertainment Writer
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Space weather forecasters issued an alert on Tuesday for incoming severe solar storms that could produce colorful northern lights and temporarily disrupt communications.In the past few days, the sun has burped out several bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections that could reach Earth Tuesday night and early Wednesday. The potential severe geomagnetic storms could disrupt radio and GPS communications, according to forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.How bright the auroras are and how far south they are visible will depend on when the solar bursts get here and how they interact with Earth’s atmosphere. The vibrant displays could be visible across much of the northern U.S., and as far south as Alabama and Northern California. How northern lights happen The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year activity cycle, making the light displays more common and widespread. Colorful northern lights have decorated night skies in unexpected places and space weather experts say there are more auroras still to come.Aurora displays known as the northern and southern lights are commonly visible near the poles, where charged particles from the sun interact with Earth’s atmosphere.Skygazers are spotting the lights deeper into the United States and Europe because the sun is going through a major face-lift. Every 11 years, its poles swap places, causing magnetic twists and tangles along the way.Last year, the strongest geomagnetic storm in two decades slammed Earth, producing light displays across the Northern Hemisphere. And soon afterward, a powerful solar storm dazzled skygazers far from the Arctic Circle when dancing lights appeared in unexpected places including Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City.The sun’s active spurt is expected to last at least through the end of this year, though when solar activity will peak won’t be known until months after the fact, according to NASA and NOAA. How solar storms affect Earth Solar storms can bring more than colorful lights to Earth.When fast-moving particles and plasma slam into Earth’s magnetic field, they can temporarily disrupt the power grid. Space weather can also interfere with air traffic control radio and satellites in orbit. Severe storms are capable of scrambling other radio and GPS communications.In 1859, a severe solar storm triggered auroras as far south as Hawaii and set telegraph lines on fire in a rare event. And a 1972 solar storm may have detonated magnetic U.S. sea mines off the coast of Vietnam.Space weather experts aren’t able to predict a solar storm months in advance. Instead, they alert relevant parties to prepare in the days before a solar outburst hits Earth. How to see auroras Northern lights forecasts can be found on NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center website or an aurora forecasting app.Consider aurora-watching in a quiet, dark area away from city lights. Experts recommend skygazing from a local or national park. And check the weather forecast because clouds can cover up the spectacle entirely.Taking a picture with a smartphone camera may also reveal hints of the aurora that aren’t visible to the naked eye. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Adithi Ramakrishnan, AP Science Writer
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