According to a new survey commissioned by Diet Pepsi MAX, an invigorating zero-calorie cola with ginseng and more caffeine, 84 percent of Americans1 experience a daily “afternoon slump.” They’re also having a tough time being discreet about it. More than half of respondents admit to yawning up to five times a day and another 86 percent believe that those yawns are contagious. Diet Pepsi MAX, which arrives on store shelves nationwide this week, plans to do something about it.

“It’s evident that Americans are tired and could use an extra kick to help get them through the day,” said Russell Weiner, VP, Colas, Pepsi-Cola North America. “Diet Pepsi MAX was designed to offer a great-tasting solution with a unique formula that invigorates the mind and body, preventing those ill-timed yawns from taking over.”

The yawn is the focus of the advertising and marketing that supports Diet Pepsi MAX. The TV ads, created by BBDO New York, debut nationally today. The :15 and :30 spots, featuring the tag line, “Wake Up, People!,” illustrate how Diet Pepsi MAX “stops the yawn,” which can adversely affect both everyday activities and important moments, such as a job interview, a football game or even a wedding.

Additionally, Diet Pepsi MAX has launched a Web site, www.WakeUpPeople.com, which features a “Yawn-a-Thon,” offering a humorous take on telethons. The site also provides the option to send a celebrity wake-up call to a friend from Ben Stein. The site was created by Tribal DDB.

Diet Pepsi MAX Survey

According to the survey commissioned by Diet Pepsi MAX (a national consumer poll of 1,102 adults conducted by Harris Interactive), one-third of Americans (31 percent) blame the workplace as the reason for their exhaustion. But America is also transforming the cause into the solution, because half of all survey respondents have caught someone asleep on the job, while 28 percent have confessed to falling asleep at work themselves. The most popular ways respondents overcome their slumps at work include walking around the office (58 percent) and consuming caffeinated beverages (52 percent). The survey also revealed the following:

* About one in five respondents (18 percent) has faked a yawn to get out of a conversation

* Nearly one in ten (8 percent) Americans has yawned while on a job interview

* Half (50 percent) of respondents say they’ve caught someone sleeping at work

* 54 percent of working Americans say they would take a nap at work to reinvigorate themselves in the afternoon if given permission by their supervisor

* One-third (32 percent) have admitted to yawning on a date

* Nearly one in ten (9 percent) Americans has had a bug fly into their mouth while yawning

Available in 20-ounce bottles, two-liter bottles, and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans, Diet Pepsi MAX is sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium. Diet Pepsi MAX joins Pepsi-Cola North America’s wide portfolio of 13 colas that includes caffeine-free, diet and flavored versions. The national rollout is supported by a full slate of advertising, marketing and in-store activity.