Charlie Jitjaroongporn, marketing director of Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading, said the cola market was already so saturated that additional growth is next to impossible. But as healthier beverage alternatives have gained in popularity during the past few years, hopes to capitalise on trend by marking the soda, which the company touts as having "less than one calorie".

"Pepsi Max is the only cola beverage in the market that is able to retain the same taste as the original Pepsi, the company's main product," he said.

When Pepsi reintroduced Pepsi Max last year on a small scale it discovered good market potential, though the low-cal market was still a relatively tiny segment. Last year, the market grew 30 per cent.

This year, the company plans to spend approximately Bt10 million into marketing and advertising Pepsi Max with a target to grow sales 50 per cent.

Pepsi Max was introduced 10 years ago but the product failed because its name as a health product was not widely known.

Yesterday Pepsi launched a new Bt40-million marketing campaign, the sixth under its Pepsi Football 2006 theme, that will give away 14 passenger cars.

Charlie said that Pepsi would be affected by the recent Bt1 price hike on bottles of Pepsi, which takes effect in early July.

Dhitivute Bulsook, marketing director of Serm Suk Plc said that although the price increase would help the company offset increased operation costs caused by rising oil and sugar prices, the company would have to find other ways to manage its operating expenses.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation