Tag: Pepsi

Pepsi Like Machine

You walk up to the Pepsi’s “Like Machine”, tap “Like” for Pepsi on Facebook using your smartphone or the machine’s touchscreen, and it dispenses a soda. Simple rule. Instant reward.

The Like Machine mechanic

Coca-Cola has created a whole bunch of innovative vending machines over the last couple of years. Pepsi, on the other hand, created only a couple. Now to add to that collection, Pepsi piloted its latest vending machine. Dubbed the “Like Machine”, it was programmed to dispense soda to fans who “Like” the brand on Facebook via their smartphone or via the touchscreen on the machine.

Where did Pepsi pilot it

Pepsi piloted the machine at a Beyonce concert in Antwerp, Belgium and received a good response. So do not be surprised if you see more of them popping up nearby.

Why “Like” works as currency here

The exchange is clear. A lightweight social action becomes the trigger for a real-world payoff. The behaviour is familiar, the barrier is low, and the moment is easy to understand even in a noisy live-event setting.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Pepsi Like Machine?

It is a vending machine that dispenses a Pepsi to people who like the Pepsi brand on Facebook, either via their phone or on the machine touchscreen.

Why test this at a concert?

Concert crowds are already in a high-energy mindset and open to quick interactions. That makes participation fast and visible, which boosts word of mouth.

What is the simplest lesson to copy?

Make the rule obvious, the action effortless, and the reward immediate. If any one of those is slow or unclear, participation drops.

What should you measure?

Participation rate per hour, completion rate (start to dispense), and the incremental social lift tied to the activation window.

Pepsi: Oh Africa Football Superstars

Football stars set to Akon’s “Oh Africa”

A Pepsi ad featuring Akon’s “Oh Africa” and football stars like Henry, Messi, Drogba, Arshavin, Lampard and Kaká.

How the spot is built: soundtrack plus star density

The mechanism is pure scale. A single anthem-like track sets the emotional tempo, then a rapid parade of elite players does the rest. It feels bigger than a product message because the film is structured like a football event, not a traditional brand pitch.

In global FMCG sponsorship marketing, music and star power are used as compression tools to deliver tournament-level energy in seconds.

Why it lands: it turns a commercial into a moment

This works because the viewer already understands the code. Big match atmosphere, heroic framing, quick edits, and a track that signals “anthem”. The brand does not have to over-explain anything. The audience fills in the meaning.

What Pepsi is really buying with “Oh Africa”

This is about cultural association, not product features. The “Oh Africa” release is also positioned as more than entertainment, with proceeds linked to helping underprivileged African youth via Akon’s Konfidence Foundation. That adds purpose framing to what could otherwise be a straight celebrity-sponsorship film.

What to steal if you are building a sponsorship-led campaign

  • Use one strong audio spine. A recognisable track can carry mood faster than copy.
  • Front-load recognisable faces. Star density buys attention when the viewer is scrolling or channel-hopping.
  • Make the brand platform legible. If there is a “bigger than the ad” idea, thread it through the film rather than adding it at the end.
  • Keep the message simple. Sponsorship films win when they feel like culture first, brand second.

A few fast answers before you act

What is this Pepsi ad in one sentence?

A football-superstar Pepsi spot set to Akon’s “Oh Africa”, designed to feel like a World Cup-scale cultural moment rather than a standard commercial.

Which stars are featured?

The legacy post calls out Henry, Messi, Drogba, Arshavin, Lampard and Kaká as featured players.

What is the core mechanism that makes it work?

Star density plus a strong audio spine. Recognisable faces arrive fast, and the track carries mood without needing heavy explanation.

What sponsorship job is the film trying to do?

Transfer event energy to the brand by making the work feel like culture first and branding second, so the sponsorship reads as “belonging”.

What is the most transferable takeaway?

If you are building a sponsorship-led spot, keep the message simple, front-load recognisability, and use one cohesive audio-visual spine to carry the moment.

Pepsi Refresh: Monthly Grants for Ideas

Pepsi wants to make the world a better place and so it has up to $1.3 million in Refresh grants to give out every month, ranging from $5,000 through to $250,000.

The social investment campaign can be seen online at www.refresheverything.com, and is being presented as Pepsi’s alternative to spending on television advertising at the Super Bowl this year.

From January 13, US residents can submit an idea online, choosing categories of health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods, and education.

From February 1, 2010, visitors to the site will be able to vote on ideas, with the first 32 awards being announced on March 1.

The clever part is the trade

The headline here is not just the money. It is the positioning. Pepsi is framing this as an alternative to a single high-cost burst of attention, and shifting that investment into a participatory program where people submit, rally support, and vote.

Why this format can generate momentum

  • A clear incentive. Monthly grants create repeated urgency, not a one-off moment.
  • Built-in categories. Health, arts, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods, and education make participation easy to understand.
  • Voting creates distribution. If your idea needs votes, you recruit your network. That recruitment becomes the media.

In large-scale brand purpose programs, participation grows when funding, voting, and sharing are designed as a repeatable cycle rather than a one-off moment.

What to watch if you run campaigns like this

  1. Transparency. People will want to understand how ideas are evaluated and funded.
  2. Participation fatigue. Monthly cycles help, but the experience has to stay simple to repeat.
  3. Proof of impact. The long-term credibility comes from showing what the funded ideas actually achieved.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Pepsi Refresh Project?

It is a social investment program where Pepsi offers monthly “Refresh grants” and invites people to submit community ideas and rally votes to get them funded.

How much funding is available?

Up to $1.3 million in grants per month, with awards ranging from $5,000 to $250,000.

When can people submit and vote?

From January 13, US residents can submit ideas. From February 1, 2010, visitors can vote, with the first 32 awards announced on March 1.

What categories can ideas be submitted under?

Health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods, and education.

What is the strategic alternative being positioned here?

Pepsi is presenting the program as an alternative to spending on television advertising during the Super Bowl, shifting that spend into a participatory grant platform.