OK, maybe not so interesting if you aren't a food-business wonk. But a paragraph buried far down in the article caught my attention. The emphasis is mine:
In addition to focusing on the lemon-lime category because of its size, executives point to other trends spurring investment. They say lighter, clearer sodas are perceived by some to be healthier, making it an opportune time to go after consumers who may have shied away from soft drinks for health reasons.Perceived by some to be healthier. I love that! Not saying it is healthier, just that if some people think clear soda equals healthy while dark cola equals unhealthy, then we're more than happy to take their money.
For those whose main objection to certain soft drinks is the use of high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener, the article mentions that Sierra Mist is being reformulated to replace HFCS with natural sugar, while apparently you can obtain Sprite Green, made with Truvia.