What’s Pepsi Thinking?

Well here we are, topping off the first quarter of 2009; where are we as brands? Let’s take a quick look at the Pepsi reface. I first noticed the new logo when i was in Florida, billboards everywhere with a new ad campaign. “Pretty cool” I thought, though not sure of a specific goal. Perhaps to hold their place in the consumer’s mind. Think again.

I remember last year Pepsi announced they would try to keep their packaging fresh so they redesigned the packaging every few months over the summer. What an interesting idea. I watched the feel change every few months, but the logo stood strong and reinforced the product value to the consumer. So when I saw the new look in Florida this January I thought this was an extension of what must’ve been a success on the fresh packaging style. Then I read the news (better late than never sometimes!), Pepsi decided to reface/rebrand every product they had. For what? Why?
Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Tropicana, you name it. Talk about losing your product on the shelf. I didn’t recognize the products anymore. In fact, it took me longer to find a product I knew was there.

Now what was the point of this again?

What do we think of when we think Coke? Red. Classic. The bottle logo. We all know the taste (or most of us.) Now Pepsi… Blue… um… A smile? Maybe global or fresh. What’s the new logo and tag again? And drop the ad agency that has branded your company for over 40 years? What’s Pepsi thinking?

I would warn Pepsi just opened some room up in the ‘cola’ world. Pepsi just opened themselves up for another brand to invade, and what timing while Pepsi is in a crisis. If I can recall anything from the past few month it’s that Coke seems to be reinforcing their brand and sticking to what works. If it’s not broke, don’t break it. While I don’t think a new brand could become a key player in the cola world without a unique taste, Pepsi has opened the door for Coke to gain some ground. Pepsi is confusing the consumer, losing value, and losing trust. Leaders are strong not complacent.

I don’t think we need to mention the variations of the logo on the different soda types. Using your company logo like a brand extension.. bad, bad says the buyer.

I hope Pepsi can pull itself together and find a way to get back to basics, bring the old logo back. Don’t cut the past off. Write off the estimated 1.2 billion spent in rebranding as a ad campaign, much like the “fresh” campaign with redesigning the bottles last summer. With a company this large, global, 20/20 hindsight is much too late. When you’re steering a large ship…turn the rudder before you hit the iceberg. Pepsi is either losing ground in the mind of the consumer or they’re 2 steps ahead of the curve.

I’ve read a lot of negative blogs from branding agencies but to be fair I will give Pepsit this; I predict by the end of the year most (if they haven’t already) brands will be moving to a clean, simple design. I’ve seen over half a dozen product brands clean up every from packaging to logos to typefaces. I tell you this is where we are going.  Look at G. It was a daring move, quite like Pepsi, but I believe this is a trend that will be set for the next 5 years. Pepsi might just be on target. Time will tell.

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