Since Pepsi decided to do something a little different by sending me some of their product with their newly redesigned logo, I decided to do something a little different, too.
I opened the boxes sent by Pepsi with friends Ken Burbary and Craig Daitch and captured our discussion of the new logo and the impact of the strategy on this video. Let’s see if you come to the same conclusion we did through our discussion.
[vimeo 2096426]
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Absolutely agree – why had Pepsi do their marketing behind the wall of the brand? Athenticity not Anonymity ! Come out and see, us we’re waiting – we won’t bite!
Shannon,
What a fun way to respond back to Pepsi, you are giving them even more than they expected, I am sure. How fun to see all the logo’s through time.
Shannon – This was a fun and different way to go about reviewing the new logo task. I enjoyed the discussion. Despite the fact that we identified ways Pepsi could have done things differently to enhance the effectiveness of the launch, they’re on the right track. The new logo reasonated and elicited positive feedback from our “focus group”. Nice job crowdsourcing your Pepsi review!
It’s amazing really, this reminds us that y0u can take something as mundane and ubiquitous as Pepsi and re-establish a connection with consumers, even though you’ve been selling the same exact product for multiple generations. In the industries we cover (computer hardware and software, for example) we see some of the most ridiculous branding you can imagine, and for a mundane product such as a computer heatsink, that can be death. We have no connection at all with the brands themselves, and go from one generation to the next, bouncing our loyalty from brand to brand depending on what’s “cool” at the moment (super nerd pun fully intended). If you made a list of the masters of branding, I’m sure Pepsi would be right up there near the top. Hell, I don’t even like Pepsi and I’d go out and buy a 12 pack if I saw them in the store with new packaging. Like your waiter Phil, when I see something “new” I feel compelled to try it.
Shannon, I am guessing lots of folks these days are telling you that you are doing an outstanding job of making a mark for yourself. The fact that the Illitch family picked you, Pepsi picked you, and many more yet to come will pick you as you are “Showing Up” as authentic and very creative.
You should be proud of what you are accomplishing,
Love the way you, Ken and Craig handled the unveiling and provided insights.
But…
Connecting with the “pop culture?!” I think they missed the mark with this campaign. No offense Shannon, while you know I think you and the other 24 bloggers rock…aren’t Pepsi & Edelman missing the mark here?
It might have been more of a social media campaign if they targeted this huge unveil with Pepsi enthusiasts?! Perhaps members at the Pepsi Collector’s Club? (http://www.pepsicolacollectorsclub.com) OR Mike and Joanne at the Pepsi Collector ? (http://www.pepsi-collector.com/). Heck, they’ve had 67K visitors…
BTW, it only took one Google search to find these member-based, enthusiast sites. Just sayin’…
Let’s not underestimate the creativity behind the name of the video. Nice cans Shannon, oh, Ken and Craig too.
I really enjoyed the video! Thanks for sharing your experience with us, it was a really interesting way to learn a little more about the Pepsi relaunch.
nice idea to do a video commentary of your unveiling, now I feel lame for doing a blog post ;)
“Their logo is their signature” lol true, but to your friend’s point about this being a textbook tactic, at least you’re now part of the textbook reading then. That’s how I look at it. I’m eager to see if the outreach to us continues as their letter indicates.
First congrats on being selected to do a product review for Pepsi, what a cool assignment. I think you nailed it dead on the way you approached it to get an accurate response.
Coming from someone who doesn’t drink soda, I am definitely peaked by new packaging (for any product). I agree with Phil the waiter – it makes me think that it will taste different. So if I wasn’t a fan before I would definitely try it again.
I think an image redesign is something pepsi needed- For those who already enjoy drinking pepsi, I can see how they get annoyed when they try to add “new flavors” – most of them seem to fail because you already have satisfied consumers.
I really believe this new, more modern design will keep & attract more users. I hope they send you some results in a couple months!
Hi.
I ran into this blog while researching about Detroit Start-Up Weekend. I must say… great stuff!
I can’t really speak on this topic directly, as like another commenter stated, I don’t drink pop. Like Phil the W.A.B. waiter though, I do find myself intrigued by new looks and packaging. My former employer recently changed its logo to be more sleek and modern, but I honestly don’t know how that will affect their bottom-line.
My sister works for Pepsi Bottling and I think she will be excited to see this video. Again, cool topic and kudos on the post-modern feel of a vlog within a blog.
I’ve added you to my RSS feed. Keep it coming!
This was a great opportunity, so for that alone, I’m appreciative to Shanon and Ken. After a day of gestation, I’ve had a few additional thoughts:
What I found so interesting about this promotion was the reach or lack thereof that was invested in creating buzz.
For example – though Shannon does indeed rock and I’m sure her 24 counterparts who received similar packages do as well, this seems very BzzAgent-like but with far less “agents”. Now maybe I have their objectives all wrong but I know if I were to gauge the reaction of 25 people verses the 400,000 volunteers of BzzAgent, I’d take the aggregate sentiment and track influence, velocity of conversation, pass along, etc. thereafter.
Shannon received at least 8 cans of the new Pepsi. Why not deliver a single can to her and a t-shirt with the new logo while expanding the group of influencers from 25 to 200?
These are of course open-ended questions. I enjoyed being asked to participate and as mentioned in the video, it’s a great effort by Pepsi to reach out to people in the social web.
I love the creativity, very innovative way to do the product review.
Hey Shannon – love the product review – what was the friendfeed link? I’ll check it out.
Great idea (video) you should do that more.
I like Pepsi’s new cans too.
My favorite part of the video is hearing Ken Burbary say, “the logo re-creates the magic for Phil”!
I agree with a lot of Craig’s comments, this was very good but missed the mark due to limited thinking.
Still enjoyed viewing and look forward to reading more. Sense of humor is important in what I choose to read and watch.
It seems odd that Pepsi hasn’t followed up on your blog to address other comments here. I haven’t scouted for the other testers, but I would think such a small sample set would allow Pepsi’s people to monitor and converse with your readers right on the blog. Unless I missed something above?
Shannon:
I am (so) enjoying being on your Blog post notification. And you are teaching me so much. Thanks, a ton!
I loved this whole pseudo-focus group approach to the the Pepsi brand (although, of course, with my more traditional experience, I always like my focus groups to be much bigger, and longer!). Nevertheless, both Ken’s and Craig’s comments were thought-provoking; and while I am currently a COKE ZERO groupie (less for the branding than the taste, which is awesome!), I am going out (as soon as it appears) and purchasing the newly-branded Pepsi……because like your waiter, I figure there’s got to be something substantially “new” there, right? (LOL).
In any case, your blog is fantastic, funny, and enlightening. Thanks, again. Please keep up the good work.
PS – Go Wings.
“There logo is their signature, maybe”.
I say “maybe not”. I’m a bit disappointed the letter isn’t signed. Sure, most letters are fake signatures in those types of endeavors.
However, according to yourself and Pepsi-Cola it went out to just 25 bloggers. If this letter was sent to only 25 people there is no reason each one of them should be hand signed (and hand addressed on the envelope). Keep is classy.
Now, as for the folks at Pepsi, bring back the old cans! All white, that would be amazing. I’m a Coca-Cola guy myself. But I will happily switch to the first company that goes to almost all-white cans. Keep it classy.
Quite frankly I’m tired of all the companies changing their logos. A few (AT&T) have done a great job. Most have done a less than satisfactory job. Keep it classy.
More moden, more simple, more curves. Bleh! Now, time for some Cherry ____!
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