Do Pepsi Bottles Smile at You Like This?
Pepsi and the biggest mistakes of branding. Media Strategies with little forethought and no value.
Remember Super Bowl Sunday and the absence of Pepsi + millions of dollars? Well – I found this article today: Make the logo bigger: 10 rebranding disasters. Read through to the second page and you’ll find my favorite brand (although not my favorite cola): PEPSI.
My dad LOVES Pepsi. I’ve never been a big fan. Dr. Pepper rocks! But I do LOVE the people at Pepsi. First they took a less-travelled path with social media. They found success. However, last fall I remember making a comment about their new logo. Today I felt a bit validated in reading this article. I’m also feeling a little bit out of the loop too. Did you know the new logo was supposed to resemble a SMILE?
What were they smoking when they agreed it looked like a smile?! What were they doing spending $1 Million to develop it?! Again, what were they smoking?!
I guess it could be worse. It could’ve been a “New Coke”. Looking at the other brands mentioned, nothing really beats changing your name to a slang term for syphilis. I dare anyone to try and top that one. Then there’s Fort Worth-based Radio Shack targeting their small customer base and calling themselves “The Shack”. Does that not bring up bad imagery to anyone else either??
What’s even more telling of Pepsi’s mistake is that their subsidiary, Tropicana, also changed it’s packaging and logo. FAIL. Most response after launch mentioned that the packaging resembled a store brand. Nothing like syphilis and a store brand shackn’ it up together.
To further make less sense, each Pepsi-Cola brand, i.e. Caffeine Free or Diet, smiles differently. Again, what were they smoking?? Is there one type of Pepsi-Cola that is happier than the other? Can I guess the caffeine free isn’t so peppy?? Can you see where I’m going with this?
Coca-Cola is a standard of branding. Lessons for success in media strategies center around stability.
It’s all a tragic moment that just won’t end. They out-did their fiercest competitor with less money during the Super Bowl but they lack the big picture. Coca-Cola has that single imagery we all recognize. We see it world-wide. We also see very few logo changes from them. They’re a standard. Pepsi is acting their part: the second-rate cola.
Now I’m all for inanimate objects smiling at me. I LOVE the creepy statues at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion that follow you – and they don’t even smile! Honestly though, when I want a cola I hate having to hunt for it. Changing the logo and the packaging make it difficult for people to identify with your brand. When people cannot identify your brand you cut your revenue down to your loyal customer base. Where’s the growth strategy in that?
For anyone that’s starting from scratch, don’t be like Pepsi. Great product + no confidence in brand = struggle. And that is no good.
I wish everyone a great weekend and I’ll see you again on Monday! Feel free to battle it out for your favorite cola!
Tell a Friend,
TZ
Tony Zazza, a 15-year media, marketing and advertising expert, is the Principal of Zazza Media Strategies, a Dallas Texas Marketing Firm, that specializes in growing small to medium sized businesses to their fullest potential.
