Mountain Dew Code Red is a cherry-flavored carbonated soft drink that was introduced in 2001 as a flavor extension of the original Mountain Dew. This addition marked the first time that the brand had ventured beyond its flagship flavor on a large scale. In 1988 Mountain Dew Red was sold in some areas of Alabama, but later discontinued that same year. These two soft drinks did not share the same formula or taste. Despite the saturated market of soft drink flavors, Code Red saw great success and is considered a major player in the cherry-flavored beverage market.
History
Bottle of Mountain Dew Code Red
In March 2001, the Mountain Dew website hosted an online racing game. The top-scoring winners received a box containing a "you won" letter, six pack of bottles and a Code Red shirt, before this version was officially released.[1]
PepsiCo considered calling the variant Wild Cherry Mountain Dew, but branded it as Code Red as urban and ethnic focus groups preferred. In May 2001, Mountain Dew Code Red was released to stores in the United States.[2] In its first year of production, Code Red increased overall sales of Mountain Dew by 6%.[3]
Diet Mountain Dew Code Red was introduced in 2002.[4] It was replaced by Mountain Dew Code Red Zero in 2022.[5]
The Mountain Dew flavor DEW-S-A, released for a limited time in 2017 and 2021, was a combination of red, white and blue Mountain Dew flavors, with Code Red serving as the red flavor in the mix.[6]
An energy drink version of Code Red was released in 2022.[7]
In popular culture
During an overnight work session, researchers named the computer wormCode Red after the Mountain Dew variant they were drinking at the time.
Mountain Dew Code Red was promoted in December 2010 with a television advertisement featuring rapper Jay Electronica performing his song "The Announcement". The campaign proved to be a successful marketing strategy, contributing to the product's widespread popularity amongst consumers.[8]
German rapper Sierra Kidd released a song in 2015 titled “Mountain Dew Code Red” in reference to the drink. The lyrics to the song only contain one line that mentions the drink: “Mountain Dew Code Red 808’s ey”.
