Pepsi appealing to social media-savvy youngsters with global campaign
Pepsi is tapping into the social media-savvy 16 to 25 age group with a digital-first global campaign that aims to capture what it describes as the “vibrant, youthful spirit” of its target market.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T40gL-o6XnY
The brand is looking to build on recent sales momentum through four online and TV spots which encourage consumers to celebrate life’s “now” moments by showcasing a rooftop party, a spontaneous trip and a first date that turn “ordinary moments into something extraordinary” – an idea that links to the current collective zeitgeist, according to the brand.
The “lighthearted, energetic and fun” campaign features individuals from around the world instead of celebrities as Pepsi has done in recent years, such as an ad starring Beyonce in 2013.
The brand has also sidelined its long-term relationship with Omnicom Group and used smaller New York-based agencies Lloyd&Co and Moondog to create the content, which along with the videos, which will air both online and on TV, includes content created for Instagram and Twitter as well as memes and mobile content.
Kristin Patrick, senior vice president and global chief marketing officer for PepsiCo beverage brands, says: “The new global master brand creative embraces a vibrant, youthful spirit and injects deeper meaning into our brand and ‘Live For Now’ ethos.”
The campaign is part of an ongoing effort for the brand to gain share of the cola market as it competes against rival Coca-Cola.
In its latest results, PepsiCo reported global organic revenue growth of 3.1%. In the UK, sales for the Pepsi brand rose 5.9% to £126.5m year on year to 6 Dec 2014, while volume sales rose by 3.4% to 162.4 million, according to data from IRI.
Meanwhile, total value sales for the Coca-Cola master brand fell by 5% to £652m and volume sales dropped by 7.3% to 574.5 million.