Pepsi identifies ‘personalisation’ as its key marketing strategy

In the last two years, media consumption patterns have changed significantly in the beverage industry. Consumption behaviours have evolved, marketing strategies have changed and there has been a significant increase in the use of in-home media as a direct result of people staying indoors. Keeping in mind these major shifts, beverage brand Pepsi has identified 'personalisation' as its key marketing strategy in the year 2022.

Some of the most celebrated campaigns of the brand in the last two years are Pepsi Money Heist, Swag Se Solo, Har Ghoonth Mein Swag Hai, Salaam Namaste, ‘Pepsi Black Zero Sugar’ NFT collection and more.

Saumya Rathor, category lead, Pepsi Cola, PepsiCo India, shares, "In 2022, personalisation has also been central to Pepsi’s marketing strategies, we identified new and innovative avenues to personalise our campaigns, narratives, and products. In line with this, we have focused on personalising the cans which reach our consumers."

"Earlier this year, Pepsi released limited-edition ‘Swag Se Solo’ cans, giving our consumers an ultimate symbol of carrying their singleton status on their sleeves on Valentine’s Day. Pepsi has also launched its limited-edition, ‘Check My Fizz’ cans inspired by the hues of classic Pepsi blue, white and red featuring pop art of the celebrity icons from the ‘Check My Fizz’ anthem, Badshah and Jacqueline Fernandez. Most recently, for our health-conscious consumers, Pepsi has also launched the iconic Pepsi Black sleek cans."

"During the last few months, we recalibrated our marketing plans with spends on digital and TV mediums being higher than that for which we had originally planned. However, with people stepping out of home and normalcy kicking in, out of home touchpoints have also found a share in our marketing budgets just as they were before the pandemic."

According to Rathor, the consumers today are looking at funky, light, and entertaining content which can be consumed on-the-go with each passing minute. Gen Z wants to be linked with a brand's identity rather than merely buy stuff.

Apart from creating personalised marketing campaigns, the brand has recently collaborated with the fashion brand HUEMN. But why is Pepsi building an association with a fashion label?

Rathor explains, "Pepsi is a brand that has always resonated with the voice of today’s generation. This new generation carries swag and an inherent confidence in their own abilities. They are not afraid to express themselves, and fashion has always been an important tool through which youth can express their identities. As a result, this collaboration with HUEMN to launch this new collection celebrates this very philosophy of empowering the youth of India with self-expression, confidence, and a whole lot of SWAG."

"From the design aesthetics of our collection to our showstopper Sara Ali Khan, herself a Gen Z, who is not only a youth icon but also an embodiment of Pepsi’s irreverent SWAG philosophy, everything contributes to our marketing strategy which is focused to deepen our connect with the young generation."

Additionally, to keep up with the festive vibe, the company experimented with a campaign encouraging customers to try the combination and use the hashtag #PilkandCookies (as in Pepsi plus milk) to showcase their Santa-friendly concoctions.

"Extensive consumer research has shown consumers are always on the lookout to experiment with Cola beverages. In keeping up with this insight, during this festive time of the year we wanted to bring something new altogether at the forefront that excites consumers and rightfully add some much-needed fizz to their lives."

Pepsi has always kept a pulse on consumer trends and has continued to develop its portfolio in line with what consumers want. Going forward, will the brand continue to invest in the categories which appeal to the modern consumers?