Tropicana turns its back on AI, rebrands as 'Tropicn'

No AI in Tropicana?

Tropicana, the world's top-selling orange juice maker, which is owned by PepsiCo and PAI Partners, is handing out limited edition Tropicn bottles at this year's CES show floor. The company will also hide a hundred of the new bottles across the US at grocery stores owned by Kroger, including Fry's and Fred Meyer.

In a press release, the Tropicana said it aims to highlight the "fact that there is nothing artificial, and never has been anything artificial" in its orange juice.

The company went on to list all the benefits of its fruit juice, including "no added sugar", and "100 percent of your daily dose of vitamin C", before saying "as for AI? Bye for now. Sorry, you weren't a natural fit."

"Our limited-edition run of 'Tropcn' orange juice bottles represents our ongoing commitment to delivering the highest quality 100 percent orange juice to Americans," said Monica McGurk, CEO of Tropicana Brands Group's North American business unit.

"Since 1954, Tropicana has been at the forefront, innovating ways to bring fresh-tasting orange juice from natural oranges to breakfast tables nationwide. Artificial just isn't in our DNA."

What will Tropicana gain from limited edition rebrand?

So Tropicana has been around as a brand for 77 years now, but it's in somewhat of a dire situation when compared with PepsiCo's big soft drink brands.

In 2021, PepsiCo sold part of the brand to PAI Partners and it is now run as a joint venture. The companies have faced a decrease in sales in recent years, as consumers increasingly turn away from traditional fruit juice brands in favor of new health drinks and fresh-pressed juices.

In a CNNreport, Neil Saunders, retail analyst and managing director at GlobalData Retail, said:

"Tropicana remains a big brand in juice, but it has been losing market share over time – both to private label products and to niche brands which are seen as being more natural."

What do you make of Tropicana's marketing stunt? Is it a clever way to get attention at this year's CES, or a weirdly convoluted, and somewhat desperate, means of jumping on both the AI and natural drinks bandwagon?