Cola wars take a turn towards semantics

George Carlin is going to have a blast with this. In an effort to improve the unhealthy image of soft drinks/soda/pop/tonic, the Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)is going to start referring to its product as a "sparkling beverage." Sales of these sparkling beverages were down 5% last year, as consumers sought healthier alternatives.

To be fair, Pepsi(NYSE:PEP) and Coke are making substantive changes as well. Coke is launching a new version of Diet Coke with vitamins and minerals and Diet Pepsi Max will be enhanced with ginseng and more caffeine. Both companies are also working on "hybrid brands" that will combine the appeal of soda (er...sparkling beverages...) with the healthier aspects of other beverages. And then there's the controversial Enviga, which claims to burn calories. Pepsi will also be changing the design of the Pepsi can 35 times this year, compared to four changes in the past 60 years.

Time will tell whether these marketing changes and product innovations will pay dividends for the soda companies. But I'm extremely skeptical that referring to soda as something other than soda will enhance its reputation. What do you think?