Branding Blunders: Is Pepsi Maxed Out?

The Pepsi family is striking out left and right with its marketing efforts this year. From the widely panned logo redesign and "Refresh Everything" campaign that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, comes a repositioning of the Diet Pepsi Max product. During the 2008 Superbowl, the product was introduced with a call to "Wake Up People!" During the 2009 Superbowl, the new repositioning that targets "manly men" ages 25-39 was introduced with the "I'm Good" commercial.

What makes the product different from Diet Pepsi is added ginseng and more caffeine. And according to the product description on Pepsi's website: It’s a crisp, refreshingly delicious zero-calorie cola that helps wake up your mind and body! And now, the product comes in black packaging that looks like a carbon copy of Coke Zero. The Pepsi Max team is popping up at summer festivals, nightclubs, and car shows with the "Fantasy World" trailer, hoping that vampy women dancing in a see through cage, free poker games, and free samples will increase sales.

*taken at Chicago Summerfest June 20, 2009

There is no online component to the campaign (which is surprising given the target consumers' active engagement with social media), and the link to www.dietpepsimax.com just takes you to the main Refresh Everything page that isn't even fully functioning!

This new effort is confusing and disjointed. What really doesn't make sense is why Pepsi decided to change its targeting a year later--why take women out of the equation? Can they not handle they extra oomph in Pepsi Max? Will they not respond to the black package? In this day and age, are men really that afraid of being caught drinking a "diet" drink?

--Stacy Cohen

Tropicana Needs Some Vitamin IMC

There's been a backsplash in the orange juice world. Today NPR and the New York Times reported on the consumer outrage against the new packaging for Tropicana. It appears that Tropicana overlooked the strong emotional connection their core consumers (those who are passionate about and loyal to the brand) had to the original packaging. 

As marketers, we think the re-

design brings a fresh, modern look to the packaging. As consumers, we understand the backlash because in this economy, consumers are seeking the comfort of their favorite brands. When times are uncertain, consumers look for stability and familiarity, not radical changes. 

As IMC students, we understand the necessity of consumer-centricity when developing brand strategy. Brandweek's report of the survey Being Consumer-Centric: A Retailer and Manufacturer Update says that "most retailers (75 percent) and consumer products manufacturers (58 percent) rank consumer centricity as a top-three success factor." The report also says that "the limited availability of team resources is the largest impediment to consumer-centric success for both retailers (37 percent) and manufacturers (43 percent)." To solve the problem of limited resources, retailers and manufactures need to turn to integrated marketing communications experts in order to develop effective campaigns and maximize ROI.

Clearly Tropicana is consumer-centric because they re-desinged the packaging based on consumer research, and are now swtiching back to the original design based on consumer feedback. In Tropicana's case, it appears the issue arose from not putting enough weight on the opinions of its most passionate consumers. Even though they represent a small fraction of their consumer base, Tropicana understood the importance of keeping them happy because these are the people who will be talking about the brand the most. Tropicana can teach marketers a lesson on the importance of understanding how your consumers feel about your products. Marketers need to monitor what is being said about their brand while also bringing their core consumers into the conversation to develop effective campaigns.

Give us your fresh squeezed thoughts on this issue by taking our poll and leaving your comments below. 

--Marina Molenda and Stacy Cohen

UPDATE: Tropicana received a second hit from its rebranding blunder. Sales from January to February dropped 20%. Read more details at AdAge.