by Kira Grunenberg
For those who party it up during the summer months without drinks of the hard variety, soda/pop/coke, is usually a typical alternative to accompany any concert tailgate, beach hangout, or home barbecue. Going from there, the long time rivals, Pepsi and or Coca-Cola are sure to not be far off from the scene.
The two carbonated drink competitors have gone punch for punch many times over the course of their respective business histories. Whether it’s in the appeal and memorable factor of the “faces” for their advertising, (fictional characters or not), the infectious jingles strung throughout their audible commercialization or simply, which company could pull you in with perfectly executed can opening and drink pouring sound effects, it’s no secret people have their preferred thirst quenchers between the pair.
What about outside of the drink itself though? With Coca-Cola’s decision and announcement to partner with Spotify, PepsiCo has decided to push Pepsi toward the younger market demographic by partner with Twitter. According to a succinct explanation by the Associated Press given here, the main detail of the deal sees Pepsi,
“provid[ing] streaming videos of live music concerts to Pepsi’s followers on the social networking site[, Twitter.] The deal is part of Pepsi’s new global ad campaign that will also feature a TV ad with singer Nicki Minaj.“
Twitter certainly has the potential to be exponentially helpful in reinvigorating consumer awareness and connecting Pepsi with today’s music market trends, particularly considering that the instantaneous and ubiquitous nature of Twitter’s posting and sharing ability often breaks stories to the public. Minaj is the first major music celebrity Pepsi has officially announced as being part of this campaign, collectively titled, “Live for Now,” but seeing as summer (a.k.a. concert season) is quickly approaching on the horizon, more attention grabbing names are sure to be dropped via the micro-blogging site and concerts + free? This is never a bad thing.
I see this move as being a smart one, both aesthetically and financially for PepsiCo/Pepsi. The complete campaign plan, elaborated on more in depth through Reuters, seems like a multi-tiered strategy to bring back the company to the public eye and have it become a positive buzz word once again. Pepsi is no stranger to linking their brand with musical A-listers over the years, with Pepsi’s frequently changed slogan often represented through different artists. (There’s Justin Timberlake, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Mary J. Blige to name a few).
So Pepsi is utilizing TV, Twitter and of course, its own websites, in order to increase what Simon Lowden, Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo Beverages Co., specifically states (also via Reuters) as, “the relevance and love of the brand.” By newly partnering with music and social media, two entities already deeply ingrained in international society, perhaps Pepsi (at least on paper for now,) has outdone Coca-Cola’s new relationship with the still somewhat teetering Spotify. Of course, this all remains to be seen as both companies’ plans unfold and receive feedback from us, the consumers.
To see “Live For Now” in action, visit Pepsi.com
Kira is an old school music nerd with a love for all things creative; always searching for music’s common ground. She graduated with an M.A. in Performing Arts Administration from New York University. Drop her a tweet @shadowmelody1
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