Tag Archives: PepsiCo

by | Tuesday, February 5, 2013 · 6:33 pm

Mountain Dew Kickstarts the Morning!

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Mountain Dew wants to energize us – especially in the morning hours. The soft drink product from PepsiCo company has long been known for its high energy commercials and sweet taste, and now it is launching a new soda geared specifically to the morning crowd.

The company’s loyal fans have long mixed Mountain Dew citrus soda with juices for unofficial morning pick-me-ups. And this past summer, Taco Bell introduced a blended Mountain Dew and Tropicana orange juice drink to go along with the company’s new breakfast menu. The new product is on the market now in two different flavors – Orange Citrus and Fruit Punch. Kickstart has 5% fruit juice with a large helping of caffeine and has only 80 calories.

The integrated campaign will include television, radio, product placement, social media, and a five-month sampling tour to give away more than 2 million units of the new beverage. Using a theme of “Dawn Patrol” linked to social media tactics, the product is “for all those who get after it early and often. The first ones to the surf spot. The ones leaving fresh tracks down the mountain. For every one who believes that daylight is a terrible thing to waste. The Dawn Patrol Report is your story.” No more sleeping in during daylight hours!

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Start by showing a clip  about the new drink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU5FJ0n1PVY
  2. Show the Mountain Dew Kickstart commercial on YouTube at http://youtu.be/Nd6U7ktzue8
  3. Poll students – how many drink Mountain Dew now? When do they drink it? Do they mix it with other flavors or drinks? What is their reaction to the new drink?
  4. Bring up the product’s Web site: http://www.mtndewkickstart.com. What are the elements and messages?
  5. Discuss the elements of the commercial: target market, key message, appeal (emotional vs. rational), elements of the advertising campaign.
  6. How will this new product compete with other soft drinks and energy drinks?

Source:  Ad Age Daily, 2/12/13

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by | Thursday, November 1, 2012 · 6:35 am

‘Uncle Drew’ Keeps Pepsi Young

 

 

 

 

The youth of the world always think they are better than the old folks. After all, they are young, fast, quick, smart, savvy, and well… young. So, what happens when young basketball players take on the old folks in a pick-up game on local courts in New Jersey and Los Angeles? It starts as expected with the old guys getting ‘schooled’ by the youngsters. But something happened midway in the game when old guys brought their game to an entirely new level of play – totally dominating the younger players who can only stare in open-mouthed disbelief at the old players.

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Who are these guys? Well, the old players aren’t really old – in fact, they are two of the top professional basketball players in the nation. With a little help from Hollywood makeup artists, star players Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) and  Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) try to get the old team back together on a road trip. The first Uncle Drew video has more than 17 million views, and the second video quickly amassed more than 5 million views in the first few days.

The videos are a big hit for Pepsi Max and illustrate the product’s tag line of “a zero-calorie cola in disguise.” As a product in the mature stage of its product life cycle, Pepsi brings an “A-game” to the courts. A lesson to marketers: things are not always what they first appear to be.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

1.      Start with a discussion about product life cycle.
2.      Have students identify products that fit into each of the product life cycle stages: introduction, growth, maturity, decline.
3.      Discuss how products can maintain market share in the maturity stage. What tactics work best? What happens in the competitive space?
4.      Then show Pepsi’s Uncle Drew videos (Note: While many students will seen these videos already, but they have not connected the use of the videos to the PLC stages.) How do these videos fit the techniques needed for products in a mature industry?
http://youtu.be/8DnKOc6FISU
http://youtu.be/MLyvkBifQ3w
http://youtu.be/sW2sobJXI4s
5.      Divide students into groups: Similar to the Uncle Drew videos, have each group develop a tactic that could be used for a product in each of the product life cycle stages.

Source:  Brandchannel.com, 11/6/12

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by | Monday, October 29, 2012 · 8:16 pm

Buy More Than a Soda at the Vending Machine

 

Question: When is a vending machine not a vending machine? Answer: When it does more than dispense a soft drink!

Enter PepsiCo’s new interactive vending machine that allows customers to buy not just a soda, but also play games, send virtual gifts, and even charge their mobile phones. Customers can also send a bottled beverage as a gift to a friend by entering the recipient’s name and email, along with a personalized message.

The vending machine begins a new era of ‘social vending’ that is designed to engage consumers, and of course, keep them loyal to the beverage company. The new touchscreen machines display nutritional information, play current advertising campaigns, and have consumers compete in an on-screen games to win free sodas. And, just in as a cold soda provides the customer with much-needed energy, the machine also has AC power outlets and USB ports to help charge up the customer’s mobile phones with energy.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Show the video about the new vending machines: http://youtu.be/u92iFy8iOKE
  2. Discussion: Will the new machines impact consumer behavior in terms of customer loyalty and increased sales?
  3. Are there other services that vending machines could provide to customers?
  4. What are the marketing implications of the new vending machines?

Source:  Brandchannel.com, 10/9/12

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