Royal Tru

Infobox Beverage
name = Royal Tru
bgcolor = Orange


type = Carbonated fruit drink
abv =
proof =
manufacturer = Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc.
distributor =
origin = PHI
introduced = 1970s
discontinued =
color = Depending on the variant
flavor = Depending on the variant
variants = Royal Tru-Orange
Royal Tru-Dalandan
Royal Tru-Grape
Royal Tru-Orange Light
Royal Tru-Strawberry*
*(discontinued)
related = Cheers
Mirinda
Zest-O Dalandan FruitSoda
website = [http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/makeeverydropcount/ph/home.html Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines website]

Royal Tru is a carbonated fruit drink brand owned by the Coca-Cola Company that is only available in the Philippines. It was introduced in 1970s primarily as Royal Tru-Orange, while other variants like Royal Tru-Dalandan, Royal Tru-Grape, and Royal Tru-Orange Light were introduced in 2003.cite web| title=Kaunlaran: Faster, Higher, Stronger| publisher=San Miguel Corporation| date=March 2004| url=http://www.ictsi.com/uploads/file/032004.pdf]

History

Royal Tru-Orange was first introduced in the Philippine market in the 1970s, targeting teenagers. It was available in single-serve bottles and contained orange pulp bits.cite web| title=Royal Tru-Orange advertisement, 1976| publisher=YouTube.com| url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=syQ-dTJsYFY] Royal Tru-Orange was also one of the pioneering teams of Philippine Basketball Association in 1975. It is the only remaining pioneering franchise in the league, although it is carrying the Magnolia beverages brand as of 2007.cite news| title=Express battle Magnolia in PBA opener today| publisher=The Daily Tribune| date=October 14, 2007| accessdate=2008-06-30]

Royal Tru-Orange has gained much attention in the late 1980s, after its logo and formulation (without the orange pulp bits) were changed, through an advertising campaign that starred teen model RJ Ledesma playing the role of Joey. The first television advertisement in the series, wherein Joey was being egged on by friends to introduce himself to a girl named Jenny, was directed by noted film director Lino Brocka.cite news| first=Paul| last=Mata| title=Royal Tru Orange model RJ Ledesma comes full circle| url=http://www.pep.ph/articles/14293/Royal-Tru-Orange-model-RJ-Ledesma-comes-full-circle| date=October 31, 2007| publisher=Philippine Entertainment Portal| accessdate=2008-06-30] [cite news| first=Rome| last=Jorge| url=http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/apr/03/yehey/life/mainlif.html| title=RJ Ledesma tells all about his yaya| date=April 3, 2008| publisher=The Manila Times| accessdate=2008-06-27] Its campaign changed in the 1990s, using rapper Francis Magalona as its endorser. The campaign, using the rap jingle "Ito ang Gusto Ko" (This is what I want), was conceptualized by Teeny Gonzales of Harrison Communications.cite web| title=E-Heads: Our Executive Heads| url=http://www.harrison.ph/innerpage.asp?secID=31| publisher=Harrison Communications] cite web| title="Ito ang Gusto Ko" by Francis Magalona| url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1OQukMFKXI| publisher=YouTube.com]

Royal Tru-Orange also became known as a soft drink brand that includes beta carotene and B vitamins in its formulation.fact|date=June 2008

Controversy

Royal Tru-Orange was one of 300 products of the Philippines that were barred by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from entering the United States due to "failure to meet its requirements."cite news| first=Michael L| last=Tan| title=Read those labels| publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer| url=http://www.inquirer.net/globalnation/col_pik/2004/feb20.htm| date=February 20, 2004| accessdate=2008-06-30]

References