Kas
 | |
| Type | Soft drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | PepsiCo |
| Country of origin | Spain |
| Introduced | 1956 |
| Flavour | Orange, Lemon, Apple, Guarana, Guarana with Acerola, Guarana with Maracuja, Guarana with Peach |
| Variants | Bitter Kas, Kas Fruit |
Kas is the brand name of soft drink produced by PepsiCo. It comes in grapefruit, orange (yellow), lemon (greenish-yellow), bitter (herbal extracts), and apple flavors. Kasfruit juices are also offered in multiple flavors. Kas is available in Spain, Mexico and France, and was available in Brazil and Argentina during the 1990s.
It is part of a beverage area often referred to as the flavor segment, which comprises carbonated or non-carbonated fruit-flavored beverages.
Created by Roman Knörr Streiffr, Kas originated in 1956 in Spain in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz (capital of the Alava province, Basque Country, Spain) as a local brand used primarily as a mixing drink with alcohol. The brand grew, was acquired by Pepsi-Cola de España in 1991 and was extended into diet soft drinks and juices.
Kas promotion has included a landmark 24 Horas Kas campaign in the mid-1990s that included a catchy jingle based on the song "Dame Mas" by Alex de la Nuez a cover of the Steve Miller Band's song Give It Up from 1982 album Abracadabra. The campaign featured the Chica Kas, an attractive woman wearing a broad-brimmed hat and slinky dress, in situations involving cultural taboos and with sexual overtones.
Faced with Coca-Cola's competitive launch of grapefruit-flavored Fresca in 1994, Pepsi-Cola de Mexico launched Kas grapefruit into the Mexican market. The Spanish 24 Horas Kas campaign was adapted to the Mexican market for launch and the Dame Mas song interpreted by the Argentinian pop group The Sacados from their album Alter Nativo heavily promoted, eventually charting high in the Mexican music market. The launch also included extensive television commercials, radio commercials, billboards and a tasting campaign in bars and clubs to promote Kas as a mixer with Tequila. In 2006 the brand was renamed as Kas Mas.
In France, Kas became popular in the southwestern part of the country, where it is often mixed with Gin or vodka.
In the mid-1990s, in order to succeed in the Brazilian market, where there are several soft drink brands on the market made from guarana extract, Kas was introduced in several guarana-derived flavours, which included: guarana itself, guarana with acerola, guarana with maracuja and guarana with pessego (peach in Portuguese). Unfortunately, production ended shortly after launch and the orange, lemon and apple flavours were never came or released in Brazil.