Dive Brief:

• Starry is offering its lemon-lime soda on the house when the weather turns scorching this summer as part of its efforts to shore up a positioning around refreshment, according to a press release from the PepsiCo-owned brand. 
• U.S. consumers can visit a website to add a digital pass to their mobile wallets as part of the “100 Degrees, 100% Off" campaign. Once temperatures surpass 100 degrees in their region, the pass triggers automatically, and they can upload a receipt for a 20-ounce Starry purchase to receive 100% cash back via PayPal or Venmo.  
• Through July 31, Starry is also deploying out-of-home (OOH) ads and vending machines that dispense Starry around the same temperature threshold in three markets: Miami, Charlotte and Atlanta. The campaign’s concept echoes one from Starry’s chief rival as more beverage brands factor extreme weather into their marketing. 

Dive Insight:

Starry is promoting itself as a free way to cool down once temperatures tip into the triple digits in the dog days of summer. That could occur more frequently as the effects of climate change produce a greater quantity of longer-lasting heat waves. Many U.S. consumers have already faced a punishing season so far in 2025, and Starry sees its product as a way to deliver “intense refreshment” to soft drink fans who are sweating it out. “100 Degrees, 100% Off” runs through Sept. 2, while supplies last, and the deal is limited to one offer per customer.

The brand, which PepsiCo launched two years ago to replace Sierra Mist, joins others in the beverage category in recognizing that intense weather, while alarming, provides opportunities to experiment with contextual and regionally targeted marketing. The OOH component and vending machine activations included in “100 Degrees, 100% Off” are largely oriented around the South, including Atlanta, where Starry’s biggest competitor, Sprite, is based.

“100 Degrees, 100% Off” bears similarities to a global campaign that Coca-Cola-owned Sprite debuted in May. “Turn Up Refreshment” features dynamic OOH ad placements that assess factors like location and ambient temperature to serve messages to consumers when temperatures climb to intolerable levels. That effort is focused on international markets, such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Brazil.

For PepsiCo, the promise of a free Starry could be a way to build awareness and affinity for the two-year-old brand. In addition, Starry is enlisting both national and local influencers to spread the word about the promotion on social channels.  

The campaign arrives as market share for PepsiCo’s flagship soda continues to decline. Sprite surpassed Pepsi to become the No. 3 soft drink in the U.S. by volume earlier this year, according to Beverage Digest data. Pepsi last year lost its long-held spot as No. 2 to Dr Pepper.

PepsiCo marketing leadership has seen a shakeup in recent months as well. Mark Kirkham was named CMO of U.S. beverages in April following the departure of Greg Lyons, who held the role since 2018. The beverages division in June also expanded its work with agency VaynerMedia, with the aim of becoming more “culturally fluent” and activating around fast-moving social conversations. Starry is among the five brands in focus for the integrated team.