Pepsi's Coffee-Infused Soda| Pepsi Café

Choosing the right afternoon pick-me-up can be hard. You can pour a cup of coffee, or opt for soft drinks or one of the many brands of so-called energy drinks that have popped up in the past couple decades. If you're indecisive, or just looking to try something new, Pepsi's coffee-infused soda may be what you've been waiting for.


The Pepsi Café line comes in two flavors—Original and Vanilla—and gets its coffee flavor from arabica bean extract. It's not meant to taste like coffee fully, but rather a mashup of coffee and Pepsi, meaning it's, yes, a carbonated beverage intended to be served cold. (Considering that Starbucks admits over half of its sales are cold beverages, it's sure to pique the interest of some cold brew fans.) As for a caffeine kick, Pepsi Café sports about twice the amount you'd find in a 12-ounce can or bottle of regular soda (which is 37.6 mg), and with a typical eight-ounce cup of coffee coming in at 95 mg, the new product land somewhere in between.

So how does it taste? I was invited to try both flavors in advance of the announcement and found the product certainly delivered on the coffee-meets-cola concept. Coffee is very present on the nose (probably helped by the carbonation bubbles popping up in the glass). The Original flavor has a pleasant coffee aftertaste, more so than the Vanilla which came off as a more complex cream soda (or Pepsi Vanilla, perhaps). If you're used to taking milk in your coffee, this probably isn't a drink that requires you to port that practice over—the sweetness and caramel notes of the cola round out the palate so it's a pleasant reminder of coffee but not akin to drinking black cold brew.
It's an intriguing combination that will be interesting to see in the hands of American consumers who have thus far kept their coffees and colas separate, which may be why Pepsi is rolling it out in April of 2020 for a limited time (which I'm told is about eight weeks).

This isn't Pepsi's first foray in coffee-related colas, either. You may or may not remember a product launched in 1996 called Pepsi Kona, or another in the early 2000s called Pepsiccino. Pepsi's team said that having some prior experience in the category as well following the evolution of consumer tastes has positioned Pepsi Café to meet the market for energy-boosting beverages where it's currently at.

However, Pepsi will have some competition in the name-brand energy cola category soon as earlier this year Coca-Cola announced Coca-Cola Energy would be making its stateside debut in 2020 as well, and it also has a coffee cola in some international markets.
But Pepsi has more than a few innovations up its sleeve. Around the Super Bowl this past January, the brand debuted Pepsi Nitro, the first cola to use nitrogen gas (commonly found in dark beers and cold brew) for "carbonation," creating a cola with the same cascading bubbles seen most famously in Guinness. And just last month, Pepsi released another new creation: Pepsi Rosé. The non-alcoholic pink drink was released in wine bottles around BravoCon with the help of Lisa Vanderpump. While no plans have been announced for a wider release, Pepsi says it's not off the table.

With Pepsi Café and PBR's hard coffee, it sounds like you'll soon have both your afternoon and evening coffee needs covered.

Pepsi | #LiveForNow

This might be difficult for most companies to pull off unless you have a large enough budget to make room for these special effects. As part of Pepsi's #livefornow campaign, they created this incredible bus shelter in London that's designed to get funny reaction from people. This is one you really have to watch. 

Pepsi Refresh Project

It was a great idea when Aviva Canada did it last year www.avivacommunityfund.org. 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 is a multi-million dollar marketing platform that invites people to submit and vote for ideas that help make the world a better place. Pepsi is a brand that has always embodied the spirit of youth. Whether through social initiatives, or its place in pop culture, Pepsi has always fuelled and created culture. In 2009, Pepsi launched the Refresh campaign, celebrating optimism and its role in our changing world. This year, Pepsi is putting that optimism into action, with the launch of the Pepsi Refresh Project. Over the course of the year Pepsi will be awarding millions of dollars in Pepsi Refresh Grants. Rather than simply donating the money to charity, the Refresh Project promises to connect to consumers on a personal level, increasing their involvement with the brand by letting them decide which projects to fund. Submissions are welcome from all walks of life: consumers, for-profits, non-profits. Anyone with an idea is eligible. As for how the money is distributed, that’s up to the public too. Voting is open to everyone, and only the most popular ideas will be awarded Refresh Grants. This isn’t a cause marketing initiative. It’s not an advertising campaign. It’s not a social media campaign. It’s a refreshing new way of doing business, based on a firm belief at Pepsi that doing well means doing good.


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.”

Pepsi Refresh Project

View more documents from Ayman Sarhan.

Pepsi is giving away millions each month to fund refreshing ideas that change the world. The ideas with the most votes will receive grants. We're looking for people, businesses, and non-profits with ideas that will have a positive impact. Look around your community and think about how you want to change it.

Join the Pepsi Refresh project today; anyone can submit their ideas and vote for their favorites. Your idea could help change the future. Your vote will help great ideas become reality. For grant ideas, or to submit your own, visit www.refresheverything.com.

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 and Channel selection guided by reach of your target market should always apply.


Advertising Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles, USA
Global Director of Media Arts: Lee Clow
Chief Creative Officer: Rob Schwartz
Group Creative Director: Brett Craig
Interactive Creative Director: Michael Tabtabai
Associate Creative Director: Xanthe Hohalek
Art Director: Dustin Artz
Copywriter: Chris Jones
Managing Director: Erica Hoholick
Account Director: David Dreyer
Management Supervisor: Kristen Latto
Executive Producer/Agency Producer: Anh-Thu Le
Assistant Producer: Doris Chen
Production Company: Paranoid US
Director: Francois Vogel
Director of Photography: Michael Cleary
Executive Producers: Cathleen OConor/Claude Lettessier
Line Producer: Janice Biggs
Editorial: Union Editorial
Editor: Einar Thorsteinsson
Assistant Editor: Daniel Moreno-Luna
Executive Producers: Michael Raimondi, Megan Dahlman
Producer: Joe Ross
Visual effects: Resolution
Sr. Visual Effects Supervisor: Todd Iorio
VFX Artists: Amir Qureshi, Seth Silberfein
Compositors: Evan Guidera, Jason Jenson, John Nierras, Mannix Richenbacher
Music: The Black Eyed Peas One Tribe
Mixing Facility: Resolution LA
Mixer: Josh Eichenbaum

Pepsi Hit Refresh

In January 2010 Pepsi takes to the streets with one of the heaviest weight outdoor campaigns in Australia’s history: Hit Refresh.
Hit Refresh introduces the evolution of the renowned Pepsi globe logo with a massive outdoor campaign hosted by newly announced MTV VJ Erin McNaught and stable mate Darren McMullen.

Hit Refresh outdoor advertising encompasses large format billboards, bus shelters, street furniture, bus sides, bus interiors, mobile outdoor sites and will run from the first week of January to mid February.
While the outdoor headlines the campaign, the core of Hit Refresh is a partnership with youth channel MTV and a social networking based scavenger hunt, as well as online media, in-store media, in-store promotions and product sampling.
Through the MTV partnership, the pay TV channel has created and produced multiple television commercials (1 x 60, 2 x 30, 2 x 15 second). The Hit Refresh commercials launch from 1 January 2010 on MTV, VH1, Network Ten and Nine’s digital GO! Channel.   In the spots, MTV VJs Erin McNaught and Darren McMullen literally “Hit Refresh” by being transformed into a different scene each time they Hit an oversize Pepsi logo, or “Refresh” button.
The commercials support the HitRefresh.com.au website, the hub of a social network scavenger hunt via which consumers can win one of 101 Pepsi Refresh Cards loaded with $250 to “Refresh their world” however they choose – be it their style, lifestyle, destination, tunes, social life.
With over $25,000 worth of Pepsi Refresh EFTPOS cards up for grabs, the “Hit Refresh to Win” promotion takes place through 101 hunts over 40 days in 8 cities around Australia starting from 4 January and requires consumers to follow Pepsi’s twitter or Facebook pages.  Winning a hunt requires a consumer to locate and be the first to “Hit” the Pepsi Refresh button by following clues “tweeted”  & “Facebooked” during the hunt by a Pepsi team member, known as a Pepsi Refresher.
HitRefresh.com.au aggregates the Pepsi Twitter and Facebook sites in a single location to give consumers the opportunity to schedule hunts in their area and follow the clues. The activity is further supported with online media as well as street activations.
At a retail level, In-store media extends the reach of the outdoor into the retail environment both in and outside stores such as Coles, Woolworths, Caltex and 7-Eleven. PepsiCo Beverages business partner Schweppes Australia has activated account specific support and promotions in Coles, Coles Express, Woolworths, Woolworths Petrol Plus and 7-Eleven.  These will run in conjunction with a traditional route (up and down the street) trade promotion offering the chance to win a share of $25,000 in instant prizes.
Australia is the first PepsiCo International market to launch the new look Pepsi trademark across the four Pepsi brands – Pepsi Max, Pepsi, Pepsi Light and Pepsi Light Caffeine Free. The new look packs started appearing on Australian shelves in October 2009 and are a major update to the Pepsi globe which was created during the World War II period.
In the US, the new look Pepsi was launched a year ago during the American Presidential inauguration.  A year on, the latest US campaign – ‘Pepsi Refresh Project’ launches 1 February 2010.
The latest iteration in the Refresh Everything campaign sees Pepsi pull its entire Superbowl budget - a staggering US$20 million - in favour of a CSR initiative.  The move will mark the end of a 23 year investment in the game. The Refresh Project is a US-based campaign set up to reward those with big ideas for improving communities across the areas of health, arts and culture, charity, ecology, neighbourhood and education.

The campaign website will launch officially on January 13th on which users can submit their big ideas. From February 1st the public can cast their vote to decide the most worthy causes. Grants will then be awarded up to the total value of $1.3m per month over the course of the year.

The project will also be closely tied with an online reality show titled 'If I Can Dream' which will track five youngsters trying to crack Hollywood. Frank Cooper, SVP and chief consumer engagement officer, Pepsi-Cola North American Beverages said the show, which will be aired across Hulu and MySpace 'is one of many innovative ways the Pepsi Refresh Project will be featured in the digital space'.

The campaign follows the announcement by Pepsi that it will increase online advertising by 60% from 2009 expenditure. Cooper went on to say 'In 2010, each of our beverage brands has a strategy and marketing platform that will be less about a singular event, less about a moment, more about a movement'. 
Website www.HitRefresh.com.au
Twitter http://twitter.com/Pepsiaustralia
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/PepsiAustralia

Limited Edition Halloween Pepsi Cans

Pepsi is just on a roll with their packaging: "We didn't want our cans to feel left out this Halloween, so we dressed them up, too. Look for these limited edition Pepsi cans in the Halloween Section of your local Walmart.

Pepsi Joy It Forward

Pepsi’s digital strategy in Canada is centered on www.joyitforward.ca, a web site that encourages people to participate and spread the positive culture and energy of the brand online.

On the site, visitors can explore “Joy Meters” which aggregate content to measure what people are doing online to spread the feeling of joy. Joy Meters include Mentions of Joy on Twitter, Results for Joy on Google, Joyous Word of the Day, and Bundles of Joy Born today.

Joygles, Joy-filled games, include Bubble Blaster, Make an Old Man Smile, Staring Contest, Dance Party Dino, and the most recently added game 3 Card Pepsi.

The Pepsi Facebook Fan Page, with over 91,000 fans in the first three weeks, provides a discussion forum on all things Pepsi and another place to play the Joygles. Pepsi Canada’s Twitter feed (@PepsiCanada) provides a steady stream of conversation around the feeling of joy.

Equally impressive, is that in the usually quiet world of corporate fan page Walls, Pepsi fans have been tremendously engaged with the brand with over 9000 interactions to date on the Facebook fan page.

Credits

The Joy It Forward campaign was developed at BBDO and Proximity Canada by creative director John Gagne, associate creative director Dave Stevenson, copywriter Jeff Middleton, art director Theo Gibson, project manager Karan Deepak, Flash developer Jeff Vermeersch, technical developers Addictive Mobility, account managers Tim Welsh, Stephanie Wall and Paul Lin, engagement planner Dino Demopoulos.

Where’s Tropic-Ana? Bring Her Back

We grew up and were always pals with Tropic-Ana. She not only graced the packages of Tropicana, but she was on the outside of the bright orange CSX freight trains that ran from Palmetto/Bradenton Florida to packaging plants up north.

Yes, she was topless, but somehow it was covered over by a nice sort of necklace that always stayed positioned PERFECTLY.

She was gradually phased out, somewhere in the 1990s

Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi

In the last couple of weeks, a JPG has been making the internet rounds and, in the process, has gathered more than 6,500 Diggs (not that that is any measure of successful success, but still…) and has been mentioned in dozens of design and culture blogs, including many which I frequent and respect. The problem is that the JPG is wrong and disingenuous. It comparatively illustrates the evolution of the Pepsi and Coca-Cola logos from their beginnings in the late nineteenth century to their current state at the end of the 2000s. The comparison chart mocks the ever-changing personality of the Pepsi logo in contrast to Coca-Cola’s stoic script logo, unaffected by the effects of time. The philosophical point it makes is indeed funny and, for the most part, accurate: Coca-Cola has long been the steady brand that triumphs over Pepsi as the latter attempts to gain ground with brand gimmicks and changes. And I will be the first to admit that the Coca-Cola logo and its consistency over the years is far more supreme than Pepsi, but every time I saw this JPG come up in more and more web sites and blogs I couldn’t help but cringe at the inaccuracy and deception it engenders.

Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola Logo Evolution chart with a fat X from Brand New.

True, no one will die and the lasting effects of this JPG mean nothing, really. But I felt a burden of duty to correct a few things. The biggest problem is that the chart puts the same logo in 1885 as it does in 2008. This is not only wrong but idiotic. Technically, the Coca-Cola logo as it exists today can not be replicated with the tools of 1887 which, by the way, is the year the script logo was introduced. Not 1885. Coca-Cola was first served in 1886 and even then, the first official logo of Coca-Cola was not the script logo. It first appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 1886 as both a slab serif and chunky sans serif — it wasn’t until mid-1887 that Frank Robinson, Coca-Cola’s bookkeeper, drew the first traces of the Spencerian script logo that we all know.

First Coca-Cola logo appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday May 23 1886.

The chart, for comic and poignant effect, then leaves a 120-year gap between the first and last logos. It makes for a great viral JPG, but not for telling the real story. For the first ten to twenty years you could probably find a dozen different executions of the Coca-Cola script as the logo was probably drawn over and over for different applications. It isn’t until the 1930s and 1940s that a clear interpretation of the logo appears and is used consistently. During the late 1950s and early 1960s the script logo is placed within a shape, referred to as the “fishtail” logo, which is as off-brand as anything that Coca-Cola has ever done.

The chart also fails to mention the introduction of the wave, a ubiquitous visual today, that was first implemented in the 1960s when Lippincott Mercer was in charge of making the Coca-Cola identity more consistent. More than any Pepsi blunder, the chart ignores the introduction of “New Coke” in 1985 with a new formula marketing and set of logos — that completely ignored the script logo — that left a bad taste in their consumers’ mouths. Around the same time, in 1986, Landor began rolling out an even more developed brand identity that modified the wave among other subtle changes.

Missing from the chart in the Coca-Cola evolution is the penchant for Coca-Cola to use the shape of its bottle as an icon, acting on and off as the logo or complementary logo or subsidized logo of the main script logo, sometimes to a confusing fault. Today’s Coca-Cola logo is, of course, amazingly similar to what it was 124 years ago but it’s not quite fair to idolize them for a flawless consistency that they haven’t actually earned.

Once more, I will say that the Coca-Cola evolution is admirable and few companies — probably just GE — can claim to have extended their identity heritage across three centuries, but Coca-Cola isn’t perfect and as much as I despise the new Pepsi identity — which in no way am I trying to defend — I believe a fair comparison is in order.

So, here is the new chart. It’s not ideal, since I didn’t have a document as clean and specific as this onefor Pepsi (scroll to last page of PDF) and I had to cobble the logos from different sources. The reds are all over the place and some are in black and white.

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Coca Cola Script Trademark/Logo

Early script variation with diamonds.

Unusual typestyle used on a number of calenders.

Early script with the line extending from first "O" "Trademark" in tail; also no trademark in tail.

Crude script with "Trade-mark" in tail, under the tail or no trademark with "Trade Mark Registered" in tail 1901-1903

Custom script with "Trade-Mark" in tail; note open "O's", and unusual tails on "C's"

Misused script "Trade-Mark Registered" in tail; used on some 1903 calenders.

Traditional script "Trade-Mark Registered" in tail.

Traditional script "Trade-mark Reg. U.S Pat. Off." in tail

Traditional script "Reg. U.S. Pat. Off." under script.

Traditional script "Trade Mark (R)" under script.

"Arciform" logo also called "Fishtail" logo by collectors.

"Dynamic Ribbon" also called "Wave" logo; actually introduced in late 1969