TIMELY AND TIMELESS: PEPSI AT 125

BY SHEIMA BENEMBAREK

“Try the product! We have a taste advantage.” If you happen to be an avid Coke drinker and you come across Sassan Jahan at a party, that’s what he would tell you to turn you on to Pepsi. That is, if you pushed him to. The PepsiCo Canada CMO respects different preferences but, he repeats with a growing smile, Pepsi definitely tastes great. And for him and his branding team, it’s just that simple.

Protecting the soft drink’s legacy, staying relevant and truly Canadian are key to the brand’s enduring success, he notes. “We’ve inherently been very Canadian in everything we do. We’re Canadian marketers marketing to Canadian consumers.”

The branding, explains Jahan – who has been with PepsiCo for almost 24 years – has always been fuelled by the commitment it takes to deliver Pepsi consumers exactly what they’re looking for when they reach for that universally recognizable can. But the marketing team is also aware that they are custodians of a brand that’s both timely and timeless.

“Our job is to protect [the brand] and then build on the foundation that was created and maintained,” he says. “Our responsibility is to make sure we pass it on in a great state to the next generation of marketers.”

An Iconic Evolution

To that end, Pepsi is launching a new logo and visual identity this fall to coincide with its global 125th anniversary – an identity that continues to be “unapologetically current and undeniably Pepsi.” The refreshed and updated branding will have bold type, an energetic palette and a unified logomark. Says

Above (top row): Pepsi’s original HQ in Montreal – the brand still dominates the Quebec market; Pepsi celebrates World Emoji Day; Pepsi partnered with Pulplex to create the world’s first 100% recyclable paper bottle; Pepsi Blue was a limited-edition roll-out for Canada and the U.S. (second row): the brand updates its logo and design for 2023 – and rolls out a new campaign: “Better with Pepsi”; Sassan Jahan, PepsiCo Canada CMO.

Right: The Pepsi logo has evolved over the years, but it always remains familiar.

Jahan: “Holistically, the new look is a bold leap for the brand. Among the key updates is the addition of the colour black, an ode to Pepsi Zero Sugar.”

The rebrand work was completed by the PepsiCo design and innovation team and will be launched in phases – in North America in 2023, followed by global markets in 2024. “You’ll start seeing the new look on packaging, but the signage and equipment at individual retailers or foodservice locations may transition more slowly as they exhaust their current Pepsi inventory and collateral.”

Looking back at the iconic campaigns the brand has deployed over the years, the upcoming refresh feels at home. Jahan describes it as an initiative that builds on the strengths and distinctiveness of the brand’s history.

Who can forget the 1992 television spot with a beautiful Cindy Crawford in daisy duke shorts satiating her thirst with a can of Pepsi? Or when the Spice Girls brought a whole generation of bubbly young girls into the Pepsi family with the “Generation Next” commercial? If you’ve grown up drinking Pepsi, the change will seem a natural extension of what’s come before.

There is buzz about the launch – probably because of the brand’s legacy of culturally relevant advertising. The most recent of these took place in 2015. The “Say It with Pepsi” campaign took the increasingly popular construct of emojis as a marketing tool devised to inject the brand with more personality.

“As a brand recognized for being on the leading edge of pop culture, we were proud to step into the world of emojis and give consumers a unique and fun way to express themselves,” Jahan notes. In addition, Pepsi Canada rolled out a custom #PepsiMoji keyboard featuring 60 emojis, including new ones that research suggested Canadians wanted – a selfie, a taco and a hockey emoji. Succeeding in the cultural sphere in a uniquely Canadian way like this propelled the campaign into a global release.

Born in La Belle Province

Though a leading national brand, domestically the beverage has always had a stronghold on Quebecers’ hearts. And with good reason. Pepsi Canada, which turns 90-years-old next year, began in Montreal with the opening of a bottling plant on June 12, 1934. The work the brand has done and continues to do in the francophone province, along with the deep-rooted history it’s built there, is a big source of pride.

In the 1980s, Pepsi partnered with beloved actor Claude Meunier for a series of television advertisements that Quebecers appreciated. “That work that was done for almost 20 years made Pepsi the first brand to commit to Quebec-only advertising,” says Jahan, “It’s phenomenal.” Even to this day, Pepsi wins over Coca-Cola in popularity there.

A Refreshed Generation

Pepsi has always found a way to be culturally resonant to Canadian consumers.

Pepsi has always found a way to be culturally resonant to Canadian consumers. Consider the “Forever Young” campaign that came out in the early aughts and encouraged a move from regular Pepsi to Diet Pepsi.

“It was created in Canada and it was really relevant,” shares Jahan. The ad features Bob Dylan imagery and Will.i.am belting out two different versions of the iconic Alphaville song with the understanding that every new generation refreshes the last’s innovations.

“This is work that is not lifted or adapted from amazing work that is created by our global team – these are done in Canada,” Jahan highlights, “And that’s what I’m most proud of.”

But don’t ask him which campaign is his all-time favourite, because he answers the way parents do: I love all my kids equally. What he is able to confirm is that for him and the Canadian Pepsi brand team, as long as consumers enjoy what they deploy, that’s all that truly matters.

How the Work Works

In terms of whether the work they produce is done in Canada or in the global in-house content studio in New York, Jahan explains that it really depends on the nature of the campaign. If it’s an initiative that’s geared towards Quebec, for example, it will be made here in collaboration with the likes of BBDO Canada, PRAXIS, OMD, Motive, MarkIV and Shikatani Lacroix Design. Others, like some of their hockey pieces, were produced in the U.S. The rule of thumb is: where it makes sense they use Canadian agencies, and when it makes sense to rely on the global in-house content studio, that’s what they do.

It’s also critical to keep up with the changing nature of consumers, be it due to generational or social developments. “We invest in insights to make sure that we’re aware of what the consumers are looking for. It’s made us consistently reinvent ourselves and evolve with them.”

For instance, in the last few years society has been slowly shifting towards sugar-free, and Pepsi Zero Sugar became the answer to that challenge. Jahan believes that what helps keep them centre stage culturally is that they always tap into Canadian passion points when it comes to sports, entertainment and music preferences – a throw to their latest ad campaign, “Better With Pepsi.”

“The good thing is: we’re global. We’re available in more than 200 countries, and the brand stands for the same purpose everywhere. So whether you’re from Morocco or I’m from Iran, our association with the brand is similar,” Jahan explains. It means there isn’t too much of a need to reinvent the wheel for newcomers – the current national marketing strategy taps into a distinguishable taste and look that includes all of us.

“We have a robust innovation pipeline that is continuously delivering. I could not be more optimistic about the future of PepsiCo.”