• Ad Age, Monday, March 9, 2009 11 AM

Coca-Cola will give away a free sample of its Vault brand to anyone who buys PepsiCo's Mtn Dew in what Natalie Zmuda writes is "an audacious and quite possibly unprecedented move."

Consumers can get a 16-ounce, 20-ounce or 24-ounce Vault free with any purchase of a 20-ounce Mtn Dew. The offer, billed as the "Vault Taste Challenge," encourages consumers to "Try Vault, with 30% more kick than Dew and a bold citrus taste." A coupon is good through late July.

According to Beverage Digest, Mtn Dew (formerly and formally known as Mountain Dew) commands more than an 80% share of the citrus segment, while Vault holds about 4% after three years on the market.

"It's an interesting tactic, but I think that the Mtn Dew consumer understands that the Mtn Dew product experience is unique," says Frank Cooper, Pepsi's VP-portfolio brands

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