PPB February 2021

Pixel Shot./.Billion Photos / Shutterstock.com BRANDABLE Catching Up On R&RWith Pepsi The food, beverage and snack brand launches a sweepstakes offering limited-edition Pepsi Spa Kits to 100 winners. Pepsi wanted to encourage consumers to rest and relax over the recent holiday season, so the food, beverage and snack brand pivoted toward the less traditional by offering branded spa kits. On December 2, 2020, the company launched a sweepstakes consumers could enter to win a limited-edition Pepsi Spa Kit, which contained a Pepsi-branded face mask in the company’s iconic shade of blue; a red, white and blue bath bomb that resembles the Pepsi logo and reportedly smells just like the cola, and a cola- scented Pepsi sugar scrub. Pepsi also made sure to incorporate brand colors and textures, including its iconic bubbles, into the eco-friendly packaging of each kit. According to Marketing Dive , the idea to offer spa kits was influenced by the uncertainties of 2020, coupled with stress that typically coincides with the holiday season. To enter to win one of 100 kits, which were valued at $40, consumers were asked to tweet using the hash tags #PepsiSpa and #Sweepstakes, and tag a friend. The company announced the sweepstakes via Twitter with a tweet that read: “When the stress of the holiday finally settles, treat yourself to the perfect Pepsi spa experience. You deserve it. Tag a friend who also deserves some serious R&R with #PepsiSpa & #Sweepstakes for a chance to win.” The sweepstakes remained open from December 2 through December 6, 2020, at 11:59 pm, and winners were announced on December 7. This surely isn’t the first time Pepsi has hinged away from more traditional branded product offerings, such as apparel, wearables and drinkware. In February 2020, Pepsi ran a sweepstakes, also announced via Twitter, where entrants could win a one-of-a-kind, 1.53-carat Pepsi engagement ring, valued at $3,000 and made with Crystal Pepsi. To make the ring, the soda was boiled down to a powder, which was then added to the process of creating a lab-grown alternative diamond, according to The Drum . Similar to the Pepsi Spa Kit campaign, consumers were asked to tweet using the hash tags #PepsiProposal and #Contest, and tag the @PepsiTwitter account. The sweepstakes opened on February 13, 2020, just in time for Valentine’s Day, and the winner was announced the week of March 16, 2020, just in time for National Proposal Day on March 20. Pepsi’s unique blend of marketing, branded product and social media campaigns demonstrates its willingness to push boundaries, extending its marketing message outside of the food and beverage space, and engaging and catering to end users in creative, innovative ways. These two campaigns also show that Pepsi is not only extending its message to different holidays throughout the year, but it’s also responding to end users’ interests and needs—and thus keeping the Pepsi brand front and center, and in focus, for fans and new customers alike. | FEBRUARY 2021 | 59 THINK