As the owner of brands such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Gatorade, PepsiCo’s core focus across its marketing is to tap into culture, demonstrate its relevance to consumers’ lives and engage them at their passion points.
“You cannot build brands the way we used to,” stated Mark Kirkham, senior vp and CMO of international beverages for PepsiCo, in reference to previous high-profile campaigns led by artists such as Michael Jackson and Beyonce. “Those are great, but that’s not how consumers interact with our brands today.”
Kirkham spoke at Social Media Week Europe about how the company chooses its brand partners to activate culturally through original marketing campaigns that are amplified using key digital avenues.
He cited three current marketing initiatives, including the work around the launch of EA’s FC 24, the soccer simulation game that replaces its long-running partnership with FIFA.
Pepsi Max and Pepsi Zero Sugar are two of the game’s brand sponsors. The beverage giant’s activation included the release of promotional packaging featuring international soccer stars Vini Jr., Leah Williamson and Son Heung-min. Vini Jr. also stars in the accompanying “Thirsty for More” above-the-line campaign that runs across digital and social media to show fans why the brand is the perfect partner to help quench their thirst.
Kirkham said this campaign was an example of an emerging form of marketing that, while still including a promotional film featuring a sports star ambassador, it also offers value back to consumers by allowing them to unlock in-game rewards using “ingrained currencies.”
Those rewards include one Ultimate Team 75+ rated untradeable gold item, enabling players to build formidable player line-ups within the new game. The promotional cans and bottles also provide access to other rewards, including Pepsi football kits, attractive stadium designs and tifos.
He revealed that the company had been working with EA for two years before the game’s rebranding and launch to develop the campaign’s rewards element.
“Within certain features of the game, you will literally be able to get a downloadable retro Pepsi shirt. You’ll be able to play with Lea Williamson, with Son [Heung-min] and in the near future, hopefully with some additional athletes as well,” he continued. So what we really want to do is bring all the pieces together and do it in a relevant way because there are a million people every day playing, and they [EA] are building a new brand, and they are looking for partners to help tell their story.