Pepsi's Restricted Refreshments

You know what's great about something that's around for a relatively brief time frame? You don't have enough time to get sick of it.

PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) intends on continuing the exploration of this theory by releasing two new limited soda beverages: Mountain Dew Pitch Black and Pepsi Holiday Spice (the company had previously distributed Mountain Dew LiveWire on a finite basis, a drink that helped one of last year's quarters). The former drink will be available beginning Aug. 21 and is intended to tie in with Halloween, while the latter is meant to capitalize on the holidays and is set to begin the first of November. The Mountain Dew product will be around for 10 weeks, while the Pepsi drink will see its lifespan last only eight weeks.

Like the mighty cicada, the existences of these offerings will hopefully be as effective as they are ephemeral. If you tell consumers that they will have only so many weeks to enjoy something, it tends to serve as an impetus of urgency, causing them to perhaps ingest more servings than they normally would have in the given period.

This strategy also puts a cap on the risk of maintaining a new brand extension. Think of how specialty sandwiches marketed at fast-food outlets such as McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), and Wendy's (NYSE: WEN) may have encouraged you to get them while they're hot. I recall when McDonald's featured a hot dog on the menu... boy, did I patronize the place way more than usual to make sure I didn't miss out (I almost became super-sized). I had never seen hot dogs offered at Ronald's restaurant before, so I found the experience to be quite unique. The one thing I am still waiting for is McPizza -- will I ever see the day?

Maybe a company I have a stake in, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), should consider the limited approach to its C2 drink. From what I've heard and read on an anecdotal basis, it isn't exactly wowing the soda-consuming marketplace; in fact, it's mentioned in this article by Nathan Slaughter as perhaps being behind the curve on the low-carb phenomenon. And for a Fool's take on the actual taste of the carbonated liquid, read Nathan Parmelee's piece.

Someday all businesses will learn something from the aforementioned mighty cicada: Conceive a novel product, breed it, release it out into the wild of retail, and then allow it to die a peaceful, programmed death. Not all items are meant for eternal existence in a properly designed portfolio -- in one Fool's opinion, at least.

Fool contributor Steven Mallas owns shares of Coca-Cola but none of the other companies mentioned.