Pepsi Max faced a critical challenge: the growth of the CSD market was being driven by new, innovative and independent entrants to the market. Think Prime, think Poppi, think Celsius. But Pepsi's well established and well loved flavours were getting lost amongst the noise by brands built by and for Gen Z.
It was time to reverse the slip and claim back our territory as the UK's favourite CSD by reinventing the marketing approach across all channels, not just social and bring the brand relevance created online to all areas of the marketing plan.
So instead of taking a top down approach and working with paid actors or celebrity endorsements, Pepsi built relevance and consideration from the inside out - embedding creators directly into its full suite of integrated comms to land a succinct product message in a way that would truly resonate with its Gen Z audience.
Through a tiered network of Ambassadors, Amplifiers and Advocates, creators worked in collaboration on the promotion of Pepsi’s summer flavour campaign as genuine brand collaborators; shaping strategy, co-creating ideas and delivering content across Pepsi’s biggest cultural moments.
The ambition needed to shift the dial not just in culture but in commercial too. The Pepsi Pioneers set out to reverse declining affinity among younger audiences and rebuild Pepsi MAX flavours as the lead choice in the flavoured CSD category.
So the question, could we really take our social first approach to brand building and leverage it to mass market and can a creator first approach help us reach the business objective of becoming the lead in flavoured no sugar cola category?
Embodying a mood shift and unique personal flavour, the Pepsi Max ‘Bring Out The Flavour’ campaign took the non-traditional approach to traditional marketing and lent all the way in on the ambassador community shaping the brand.
In a first of its kind campaign for the brand, Pepsi co-created the full 360 integrated platform with the social ambassadors to deliver its hard working product messages in a way that created relevance and cultural presence amongst this Gen Z focussed CSD. Taking social thinking at the heart and expanding it across mass market channels.
Taking the leap to move from just the social space to their first ever TV and OOH shaped by their long term ‘Pepsi Pioneer’ ambassadors from strategy through to final feature.
These creators were brought inside the brand through workshops, co-creation sessions and a permanent Creative Council, working alongside Pepsi’s team to sense, shape an integrated campaign that represented the unifying insight of that our young people simply want to feel good amongst the mounting pressures of daily life. The feeling at ethos that sits at the core of the summer flavour campaign with selected personalities answering that need state.
The ‘Bring Out The Flavour’ campaign brings to life the matched styles, energy and positive uplift in a through the line media plan including a 20’ hero TV spot, 10’ BVOD, nationwide OOH, radio, Social PR, experiential and a breadth of organic social and creator assets, featuring our Pioneers, EmmasRectangle, Formz and Luke Vernon to name just a few.
The integrated campaign was the first time Pepsi truly integrated across all mass market comms and executed product messaging through a deeper cultural insight and context.
The Wins
The Bring Out The Flavour campaign proves what happens when we rethink traditional spaces and creators aren’t treated as media placements, but as cultural partners.
By giving creators real influence, not just airtime, Pepsi MAX flavours rebuilt relevance, outperformed its biggest competitor and re-established itself as a brand shaping culture, not reacting to it and has shaken up the integrated landscape.
This wasn’t just a campaign. It was a cultural reset and a new blueprint for how brands and creators can work together to build lasting relevance, meaningful connection and measurable growth at every touch point.
