Pepsi's Frank Cooper: "It All Boils Down to a Massive Change in What We Call Media" - Steve Rosenbaum - MediaBizBloggers

There39s a change in the air and some brands are noticing it more quickly than others In the 39battle of the brands39 there may be none more legendary than the Coke vs Pepsi soda wars For as long as we can remember Coke was 39it39 with powerful mass media messages big name stars and catchy jingles that kept the brand refreshed and the customer entertained But the increased voice that customers have with new technologies seems to have been lost on Coke while Pepsi has been leading the charge shifting from storytelling to audience engagement Today Pepsi is on a remarkable winning streak as Coke finally admitted with a wholesale restructuring of its advertising and communications operations last week Said Coke39s Wendy Clark to AdAge quotIt was a revelation to discover that of the 150 million views the brand has amassed on YouTube only 25 million to 30 million of those views could be attributed to content CocaCola had put into the marketplacequotThat is both huge and kind of obvious at the same time Just 20 of all of the video views on YouTube regarding Coke brands came from Coke published content As Bob Garfield author of 39The Chaos Scenario39 has been saying for some time audiences are now firmly in control of the microphone and they39re taking the brand conversation away from brand owners and doing with it what they pleaseCoke39s Clark calls the new landscape quotliquid and linkedquot which is code for out of control Coke39s emphasis is on paid media as the market is shifting to consumercreated peercurated and UGC media Coke rarely admits that it isn39t in charge which is why Clark39s comment quotperhaps we weren39t structured for ultimate success within that landscapequot is clue about just how different the landscape truly isAt the same time Pepsi seems totally at home in the new world of social media and interactive content At last year39s SxSW Interactive Conference Pepsi was a significant presence while Coke was no where to be seenPepsi Finds Social Media RefreshingPepsi39s quotPepsi Refreshquot is offering perhaps the best example yet of how the brand is embracing listening and turning the power of their marketing message over to their users Bonin Bough the Director of Digital and Social Media at PepsiCo explains quotif you listen to what people have to say and give voice to their perspectives you can inspire people and empower their ideasquotThis may not seem like the words of a Soda and Snack food company but Pepsi is putting its brand and its money where its mouth is pledging more than 20 million dollars to a crowdsourced grant program with public voting determining who gets the grants Each month Pepsi will award grants up to 13 million to the winning ideas across six categories including Health Arts ampamp Culture Food ampamp Shelter The Planet Neighborhoods and Education It39s a listening campaign that is meant to send a message to a new generation of connected consumersFrank Cooper Pepsi39s Chief Consumer Engagement Officer explains Pepsi39s social media initiatives this way quotWe want to become a catalyst in the culture rather than act like a big brand announcing somethingquot Cooper does admit that this quotgoes against all the systems put in place that were designed for mass marketingquotBut Pepsi didn39t just focus on consumer content The Pepsi Refresh Project quotlooked to add value to a community or a reallife social networkquot says Cooper quotWe knew that our consumers wanted to play a central role in developing and promoting ideas that they believed would move the world forwardquotBonin explains quotWe collaborated with organizations that are dedicated to making a positive difference in the world to design and implement the Pepsi Refresh Project Each month we accept 1000 submissions and all of the ideas that comply with our Official Guidelines are then posted online for public vote We39re doing our part to bring transparency to the process by featuring a monthly leaderboard showing which ideas are getting the most votesquotHe says it39s about aligning the brand with positive social change quotOur theory of social change is that new ideas are born from optimism a curious mind and a creative spirit We can make a difference by equipping people with the means to bring their ideas to life And we believe social media and digital engagement can fuel extend and inform these efforts quotFor the first time Pepsi is connecting with audiences as Coke struggles to rethink its engagement with consumers Pepsi drinkers feel like they39re part of the brand engaged listened to and members of the community Coke on the other hand dominates the media with oneway messages that seem strangely out of step with the massive changes taking place in consumer conversations Pepsi39s Cooper says it all boils down to a massive change in what we call 39media39 and how brands can participate in the new world of consumer driven social mediaSays Cooper quotThe Pepsi Refresh Project has expanded our consumers39 perception of what the Pepsi brand can be Pepsi remains a fun brand that leads culture However it also has social responsibility a sense of purpose built into its behaviorquotThat sounds refreshing to meSteve Rosenbaum is founder and CEO of Magnifynet and the Author of the forthcoming McGrawHill Business book quotCuration Nationquot March 2011 Steve can be contacted at stevemagnifynet Follow Steve Rosenbaum on Twitter wwwtwittercommagnifyRead all Steve39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Steve Rosenbaum MediaBizBloggersCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBlogger

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Pepsi's Frank Cooper: "It All Boils Down to a Massive Change in What We Call Media" - Steve Rosenbaum - MediaBizBloggers

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