Pepsi Drops Super Bowl To Focus On Facebook

Posted by Sara Zucker on February 1, 2010 04:50 PM

Give Pepsi some credit. In addition to its efforts to offer consumers healthier options, the beverage behemoth also plans to forgo the Super Bowl to work on expanding into new media. This will be the first time in 23 years that Pepsi will not air an advertisement during the Super Bowl. That’s a big deal, both culturally and financially.

Instead of advertising during the Super Bowl, Pepsi is focusing its energy and money on its online presence where the brand believes a younger and accessible demographic is spending its time. The Pepsi Refresh Project will feature social-networking campaigns that leverage the participate/contribute-and-vote-online model that many brands have used in the past to encourage consumers to engage with their products via the Internet.

Pepsi is looking to appeal to the consumer’s more compassionate side by offering grants "to those presenting the best ideas to improve the communities we call home and, perhaps, transform the society we call America.” The $20 million digital-based project will highlight a new website and Facebook presence – because isn't that where all the kids are these days? And their parents for that matter?

Ralph Santana, VP of marketing for PepsiCo North America, felt strongly about the new strategy: “We’re living in a new age with consumers. They are looking for more of a two-way dialogue, storytelling and word of mouth. Mediums like the digital space are much more conducive towards that.”

The big winner is this development, however, is Facebook. Major brands such as Budweiser and Coca-Cola are increasingly investing advertising dollars and building their marketing strategies around the popular social platform. Facebook allows corporations to contact consumers directly with the creation of brand-centric pages and themed applications.

And now, Pepsi will skip commercials during the Super Bowl in favor of a more contemporary and personal form of advertising.

If it is successful, look for big changes in how brands invest in Super Bowl commercials in the future.

More about: PepsiCo, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Super Bowl, Facebook, Twitter, Beverages

Matt says:

Awesome idea!!

February 1, 2010 08:23 PM # Reply

calin says:

i'd have done both...

February 2, 2010 03:46 AM # Reply

Kishor Chand Joshi says:

nice thinging about save the planet.

February 2, 2010 04:25 AM # Reply

Piet says:

When is the morbid fascination with social-media platforms going to end? It's all grand and well, but come now, it can't be the be all of everything - fundamentals are still needed.

February 2, 2010 04:31 AM # Reply

Manuel Pelágio says:

The world is changing and so are we. We need more life in our lifes.
Nice move Pepsi!

February 2, 2010 04:37 AM # Reply

Sandile Xolo says:

Social media is and should be treated as one of the media channels - not as a replacement of traditional media. The buzz and excitment about social media is actually resulting in brands that should never be on social media feeling left out because they have no presence there.

Channel selection guided by reach of your target market should always apply. The channel mix and weighting varies depending on target market, brand objectives etc. This sound like a good strategy from Pepsi BUT totally doing away with traditional channels could be suicidal if that what they are palanning to do.

February 2, 2010 05:20 AM # Reply

Stela says:

I hope Super Bowl will not suffer too much

Pepsi is exellently positioning itself towards the young and energetic population. It started with their endorsement stars - popular singers, socker players, surfers...etc

But I agree, various communicational channels are needed for mass or broad target audiences. Targeting only the facebook or other internet platforms are adequate for this "Going Clean-Green" project. But, the mass TV media are in danger as the internet penetration is growing everywhere and it can broadcast moving images, life TV and ensure interactiveness at the same time.

February 2, 2010 05:23 AM # Reply

Jillian says:

Yes, the idea behind the Pepsi refresh campaign is a great idea. In fact, it was a great idea when Aviva Canada did it last year. See www.avivacommunityfund.org

I would have thought that Pepsi and their mega-bucks marketing budget would have been able to innovate and come up with something original rather than spitting out an almost exact replica of something else's work.

And 'soda changing the world'? A bit of a stretch, no? Yawn.

February 2, 2010 12:02 PM # Reply

Super Bowl says:

Super Bowl, Super Bowl.
Really taken my soul.
Here again u've come!
pleasure, brought more than some.

I'm looking forward to attend the games; I even got ma tix from Ticketsinventory.com and waiting for February!

Come on February!
what surprise u carry!
who'll win who'll loose!
the latter is a moose.

February 2, 2010 12:55 PM # Reply

Mary D says:

Pepsi, here's my idea on how you can make the world better--stop producing and pushing soda that's bad in every way for human health and is ENORMOUSLY overpriced and packaged in plastic and aluminum. Talk about irony. Like having Philip Morris sponsoring a contest to promote heart health!

February 2, 2010 02:45 PM # Reply

Ralph Leon says:

I think this shift in mediums is really going to benefit Pepsi. Though the Super Bowl is a time where people actually watch the commercials, there still will be a lot of people fast forwarding through them with TiVo and what not.
The mobile market is also expanding very quickly and people will probably have their phones on them during the game. This can easily benefit Pepsi because a majority of the time people will be on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. I think it is a risky move, but the benefits can out weigh those risks.

February 2, 2010 03:28 PM # Reply

Julie says:

Do we really pay attention to tv commercials - other than during the Super Bowl - anymore? We've invented all sorts of methods for avoiding them, so I say I'm tired of them. I don't want a company shoving its products/services in my face. I want to be invited to participate, which is what social media does. I don't have to "follow" you, read your ad, or go to your page if I don't want to.

Yay for Pepsi! Someone finally "gets" it!!

February 2, 2010 04:27 PM # Reply

ozzky says:

what the.. pepsi

March 13, 2010 07:13 AM # Reply

facebook chiropractic marketing says:

I do think that pepsi had made a good move on focusing on facebook, as this can help improve their reputation and increase their sales or leads. Facebook is really getting better and better for business people to use.

March 13, 2010 07:16 AM # Reply