Introduction
PepsiCo is the world leader in the food chain business. It mainly
consists of the companies amongst which the prominent ones are
Cocola , Pizza Hut, Dominoes etc. which are engaged in the
most profitable business of beverages, snacks, foods and
restaurants. At present the pesis co company is producing and
marketing many refreshment beverages to retail customers in
more than one hundred countries around the world
Pepsico ever since its existence has strengthened its operation in
many countries and have witnessed the growth and
diversification in its all functional areas.is one of the largest in
the world, with products available in more than 200 countries. It
took its name in 1965 when the Pepsi-Cola Company merged
with Frito-Lay, Inc. The company’s headquarters are in
Purchase, New York.
The first Pepsi-Cola was created by Caleb D. Bradham (1866–
1934), a pharmacist in New Bern, North Carolina. Hoping to
duplicate the recent success of Coca-Cola, Bradham named his
sweet cola-flavoured carbonated beverage Pepsi-Cola in 1898.
Pepsi was first introduced as "Brad's Drink" in New Bern, North
Carolina, United States, in 1898 by Caleb Bradham, who made
it at his home where the drink was sold. It was later labeled
Pepsi Cola, named after the digestive enzyme pepsin and kola
nuts used in the recipe. Bradham sought to create a fountain
drink that was delicious and would aid in digestion and boost
energy.
One of the strengths that has contributed to the development of
Pepsico is its strong franchise system. The strong franchise
system was the backbone of success along with a great
entrepreneur spirit. Pepsi spenta a large amount on its promotion
and advertising campaign every year. This enormous
advertisement and promotion budget allows Pepsico to reinforce
its products to introduce new products and make the consumer
aware of their new products very quickly. In the beverage
segment , the dominating brands of PepsiCo are Cocola,
Mountain dew etc.
Pepsico products are distributed to many outlets viz.convenience
stores , restaurants, movie theatres and almost all conceivable
spots. Hence, Pepsico is one of the most well known brands in
the world today, available in over 160 countries. The company
has an extremely positive outlook for India. Apart from North
America, the two largest economies of the world, India and
China are the growing markets for this business. With the
introduction of liberalization policies in 1991, Pepsico started its
operations in India via manufacturing research and development,
marketing , distribution and franchising for its products.
The reason why Pepsi has fiercely targeted this market is
because it is the largest among its users. Market segment
profiles have shown that the majority of carbonated beverage
drinkers are youth and middle age people. Pepsi continually
targets the Schools, colleges, universities , restaurants , hotels
and fast food stores. For this they always spend huge amounts of
money to compete with coca cola in acquiring contracts with
universities to have sold representation of their product
distribution.
Marketing Campaigns
Pepsi's new ad featuring reality TV star Kendall Jenner. The ad
was pulled on Wednesday after being met with widespread
condemnation, with critics accusing the drinks giant of
appropriating a nationwide protest movement following police
shootings of African Americans.
"Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace
and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we
apologize," Pepsi wrote in a statement on Wednesday. "We did
not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing
the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologize
for putting Kendall Jenner in this position."
In the ad released Tuesday, Jenner is in the middle of a photo
shoot when she happens to notice a protest march making its
way down the street.
Pepsi Yanks Controversial New Ad Amid Backlash
APRIL 6, 201701:24
It's not clear what the smiling, attractive demonstrators are upset
about, the only clues being their placards reading "peace" and
"love" and "join the conversation."
But Jenner decides to join them anyway, beckoned into the
throng by a handsome man with a cello. She rips off her blonde
wig, wipes away her lipstick and joins the marchers. The
beaming, break-dancing protesters are a far cry from the often
fractious demonstrations that have broken out across the United
States over the past few years.
In Pepsi's version, no one seems too worked up about anything.
Jenner fist-bumps one of her recently adopted activists, before
grabbing a can of Pepsi from a well-stocked ice-bucket.
Then comes the ad's climax — and perhaps the part that has
caused most uproar. Jenner reaches the remarkably calm frontline of the protest. She spots an officer, walks up to him and
hands him the Pepsi.
He takes a sip, a woman wearing a nose-ring and a traditional
Muslim headscarf takes a photograph and everybody cheers.
The ad culminates with Jenner boldly stepping forward from the
protest and offering a police officer a Pepsi®, which he pops
and sips, much to the excitement of the protestors.
“Live bolder, live louder, live for now,” the ad concludes.
Pepsi® clearly believed their in-house marketing team –
Creators League Studio, a brand-new in-house content creation
arm – had put together something beautiful and socially
responsible; something that all people could rally around,
believe in, agree with, and that would make everyone want to go
out and buy a Pepsi®. PepsiCo’s initial plan: to use the “Jump
In” ad globally, via TV and digital.
(3)
the backlash
Backlash immediately followed the April 4, 2017 release of
“Jump In.” There were many things that made people
uncomfortable after viewing the advertisement, and articles,
tweets, and reviews began surfacing instantaneously.
Most tweets sarcastically and satirically focused on general
dislike and uneasiness associated with the themes and cast, but
some went as far as to compare real-life protest scenes to scenes
depicted in the spot.
The story of Ieshia Evans in Baton Rouge is not a directed ad
with a paid cast. Evans was one of the 102 protesters arrested in
Baton Rouge in July 2016, along with the prominent activist
DeRay Mckesson, who were detained on charges of obstructing
the highway. The protest emerged in response to the police
shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana. Jonathan Bachman, a
New Orleans-based freelancer, took the above photograph
included in Figure 6 and told the BBC that Evans broke away
from protesters and stood in front of the officers. A quote from
Bachman:
“I was on the side of the road photographing protesters
arguing with police. I looked over my right shoulder and
saw the woman step onto the road. She was making her
stand. She said nothing and was not moving. It was
clear that the police were going to have to detain her.”
(4)
One main issue critics had with PepsiCo and the “Jump In” spot
was the lack of market research so clearly depicted in the final
video. A headline from Marketing Week three days after the
initial release stated:
“Pepsi®’s ad failure shows the importance of diversity
and market research: The backlash over the Kendall
Jenner ad shows marketers need an outside perspective,
whether from an ad agency or by conducting thorough
market research and reaching out to consumers.”
Twitter users agreed.
(3)
PR News responded to the controversial ad two days after the
initial release. The source expanded on the idea that PepsiCo
chose the wrong spokesperson for their message and corporate
social responsibility. Although it is obviously considered a coup
to recruit a famous face to associate with your brand in most
instances, it is extremely important that it is an appropriate,
relevant person in relation to the core significance of the specific
campaign. Although Jenner is a massive presence – one of the
top 10 most-followed people on Instagram – she is not known
for activism or speaking out on any social issues. In a different
context or scenario, Jenner may have proved a fine choice of
heroine, but in this particular campaign, according to PR News,
she was the wrong choice.
(5)
Prioritize market research
Pepsi failed in understanding their target audience and the
protest movement it was trying to embody. They needed to do a
deep dive into social trends at that time and figure out what this
activism really means to people.
They’ve targeted millennials for years now, and probably were
holding onto the fact that their target demographic appreciates
diversity and togetherness. This, of course, was lost in
translation.
Pepsi needed to reach out to people involved with the protest
movement and gather data. Marketers and advertisers have
access to tools that assist them in social listening and market
research. Instead of hanging onto a general idea, vetting their
idea through the proper channels is necessary for avoiding this
misstep.
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And then there’s Kendall Jenner. Is she involved with social
activism at all? No. The celebrity brands must fit within the
brand and its messaging. Through market testing, Pepsi
would’ve determined that she was not the celebrity for this
movement. Believe it or not, a white supermodel and reality star
cannot end racism in America with a Pepsi.
Tread lightly with political messages
As a brand, there is little to no need to get involved with
controversial topics unless your product or service directly
relates. It polarizes your audience and you’ll always lose out on
customers.
If you’re going to take the risk and go in the direction of
political messaging, then you have to be clear and take a stand.
In the Pepsi Kendall Jenner ad, the protest sign said, “Join the
conversation.” What conversation? What was that perfectly
contrived group of diverse individuals protesting?
So either take a stand or don’t get involved at all. My advice: if
you choose to do so, research better be your best friend.
Respond immediately
Pepsi responded immediately with a statement that was released
on all of their social media platforms. This is step one in crisis
management, and they nailed it. They were clear, showed
empathy, and promised action.
Quick and effective responses help reduce long-term effects and
decrease the odds of backlash spiraling out of control.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest daughter tweeted about the ad
as well, calling out Pepsi. Pepsi replied that same day with an
apology, further showing responsibility for their misstep.
Make no excuses
Oftentimes when faced with a crisis, or PR nightmare, brands
tend to shove responsibility onto others and make excuses for
mistakes. Pepsi did not do that, they showed the right way to
react when facing a brand crisis.
Of course, if they had taken the right steps to avoid publishing
this “tone-deaf” ad, then they wouldn’t have to apologize, but
they can’t take back what’s already happened. In the above
statement, you see that Pepsi mentions their intent, that they
were wrong, and that they are going to do everything they can to
remove the ad.
They could’ve blamed the creative director on the project, the
strategist, or the director of the film, but they simply owned up
to the glaring mistake without making excuses
Take action
Having worked in advertising, it’s really hard to kill a project,
like… extremely hard. With all the money and time spent
making that ad, I can imagine there were thoughts of riding it
out. But Pepsi ultimately made the right call and pulled the ad
within 24 hours of releasing.
This action proves that Pepsi was remorseful for their actions
and are doing anything they can to solve the problem at hand.
The “wait and see” method does not work in crisis
communications or reputation management.
Promptly removing this ad from rotation showed the world that
they were taking the backlash seriously and the quicker you act,
the better.
Successful campaign
PepsiCo created a unique take on celebrating emojis. The
designs incorporate the essence of Pepsi — the brand’s iconic
globe shape and the colors of blue, red and white — for a
universal language that is proprietary to the brand.
Emojis aren’t just for your text messages anymore. Pepsi has
announced their “Say it with Pepsi” campaign, which is set to
launch in 100 markets around the world this summer and will
feature a number of emojis on bottles and cans. PepsiCo Design
has developed
hundreds of PepsiMoji designs, both for global markets and
more local ones.
]
The PepsiMoji first appeared last summer in Canada, and
Russia, Thailand, and Pakistan have seen some of the emoji cans
as well. The U.S. can expect to see the expressive faces pop up
this summer on their favorite Pepsi products, including regular
Pepsi, MAX, and diet/light.
epsi has kicked off the expansion of its global PepsiMoji
campaign, inviting consumers to #SayItWithPepsi this summer.
The beverage company will unleash more than 600 proprietary
PepsiMoji designs - from over one billion bottles and cans to
sunglasses and stadiums - in more than 100 markets, the global
campaign aims to bring a provocative and fresh take on the
cultural phenomenon of emojis.
Using the proprietary designs, depicting both globally and
locally imagery, the immersive campaign connects cola lovers
around the world through a shared language that is brought to
life in different elements, including:

a limited-edition licensing partnership with designer
Jeremy Scott

visually-arresting out-of-home shot by famed fashion
photographer Ben Watts

story-telling social imagery captured by Instagram-celeb
lensman Daniel Arnold

a suite of global television and original digital creative, and

localised experiential content
“The iconic Pepsi globe is synonymous with so much –
adventure, excitement, fun – and, like emojis, represents a range
of unlimited emotions without saying a word,” said Carla
Hassan, SVP of global brand management, global beverage
group at PepsiCo.
“The ‘Say It With Pepsi’ campaign celebrates the universal
connection and communication emojis provide, with our
PepsiMoji language sparking unexpected conversations and
action around the world this year – going beyond the expected
emoji experience.”
Following release in markets including Australia, Canada, India,
Mexico, Russia and Thailand, the PepsiMoji campaign will roll
out around the world across the full Pepsi portfolio – Pepsi,
Pepsi MAX and Diet Pepsi/Pepsi Light – throughout 2016.
Local adaptation and amplification of the programme includes
mood vending machines in India that dispense Pepsi product
adorned with the PepsiMoji design that most matches your
current state of mind; an extensive local influencer engagement
program across the Middle East; and cheeky online engagement
in Argentina where consumers can create a personalised
PepsiMoji design or use PepsiMoji accessories to fashion their
selfies.
[embed]https://youtu.be/eav1aYOYLGM[/embed]
Communication in global television commercials and digital
content will also take place through the proprietary PepsiMoji.
The first in a series of digital content, “Origins” introduces how
PepsiMoji designs – fuelled by young love’s range of emotions
– first found themselves in the world and on Pepsi packaging.
However, upon the massive makeover, the Hong Kong market
seems to be the one that is being left out. A website registered as
pepsi.hk, is an under-developed site that is not being used. The
page is also currently using the domain parking service.
It's understood that Telford International Company is Hong
Kong’s distributor of Pepsi products.
Marketing has reached out to Pepsi Hong Kong by phone and
email for more details.
Why was it successful?
Emojis were trending in 2014 which benefited the campaign.
Pepsi saw that more than 90% of people with smartphones use
emojis, crossing all demographics and ages.
The emojis reached consumers at the regional level, highlighting
iconic landmarks, symbols or foods of the cities, and played off
the local National Football League and Major League Baseball
teams.
There was an interest buzz on which emoji the customer would
get
Emojis have captured the imagination of the people across the
globe because they help us in expressing our emotions.
Emotions are ‘feelings’ and many times we find it difficult to
express them in words. Moreover there are certain emotions, we
experience, for which words have not yet been ‘coined’. So how
do we express them? For such occasions – which are many and
frequent, emojis have come as a 'knight in shining armour' to our
rescue. They help us express our emotions, no matter how
personal, very lucidly, crisply & impact fully.
No wonder emojis have become an integral part of ours and
more importantly of young people's lives.
Global Connect - Emojis are a language by itself hence Pepsi
capitalized on it and used it across their bottles and TV
Commercials.
2) Popularity of Emojis - Emojis are still hugely popular among
all the age groups, hence it played in Pepsi's advantage.
Marketing Campaign- Pepsi #ScreamwithPower
Pepsi #ScreamwithPower campaign invites teenagers and young
adults to share their story where they have bottled up their
feelings . To generate awareness about the common issues
problems teenagers face like stress, anxiety, depression etc.
To generate awareness about this issues, #ScreamwithPower
would give teenagers to share the issues they are facing . This
would be done through a zoom call invite where people would
talk about their issues and in the end they’ll have screaming
sessions.
Type of Research
Exploratory
Exploratory research is defined as a research used to investigate a problem
which is not clearly defined. It is conducted to have a better understanding of
the existing problem, but will not provide conclusive results. For such a
research, a researcher starts with a general idea and uses this research as a
medium to identify issues that can be the focus for future research. An
important aspect here is that the researcher should be willing to change
his/her direction subject to the revelation of new data or insight. Such
research is usually carried out when the problem is at a preliminary stage. It is
often referred to as a grounded theory approach or interpretive research as it
is used to answer questions like what, why and how.
We used an exploratory research method wherein we used the
primary research method to conduct a survey to understand how
much people know about women's sports in general.
(Why did i use this research method
Psychographics
Teenagers and college students with everyday problems and
stress.
Demographics
Age Range- 17-45
Gender: All
Sampling Method
Probability Sampling: Random Sampling Method
Questionnaire
1.