I am really looking forward to watching this scenario play out: Pepsi will replace it’s spendy Superbowl ads with a $20 million dollar social media campaign to make the world a better place. Remember how Coke wanted to teach the world to sing in harmony? It sounds like Pepsi is putting its money where its mouth is.
If this is news to you, read more about it here.
Now that is one vote of confidence for social media if I’ve ever seen one. I get a lot of questions here in the region, in our smaller communities about the longevity of social media. “Is it just a fad?”
Social media is not a fad. The technologies are.
According to Larry Woodard’s article, Superbowl ads reach 95.4 million viewers, or 42 percent of homes. Social media reaches 85 percent of the golden 18-34 demographic.
It’s more targeted and it’s more meaningful.
Of course, execution will be key. The $20 million campaign will center around their Refresh Everything website where, starting January 13th, you and I can submit our projects for funding. Site visitors can start voting February 1st. The campaign will run for a year, rather than 30 seconds. Of course, after I submit my project, I’ll be plugging it for votes on all the social media outlets.
This signals a major shift in marketing strategy and I love the direction.
- Brands will have to be more interactive and develop more meaningful relationships with their customers in order to compete. Social media technologies make this possible and in fact, mandatory.
- It means no more talking at me, and telling me what to do.
- Maybe brands will see I don’t need a rock star to entice me to buy your product.
- Make me think, make me feel, make me be proud to support your brand.
What do you think? are you as excited as I am or am I just a geek?
Do you like Pepsi’s strategy? Any predictions on its success? Can we apply this lesson to our smaller communities and budgets?
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