Do you remember the “Share A Coke” campaign? Well, according to an article in Ad Age, this summer the emoji meets the soda can in a similar campaign titled “Say it With Pepsi.” In this campaign, 70 different emojis will be printed not only on the soda cans but on bottles and cups as well and available in over 100 markets across the globe.
We as consumers are accustomed to emojis in the digital realm, embedded in the day to day phone, tablet, and computer conversations. As Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi puts it, “…no one has put them in the world like Pepsi will in 2016.” Pepsi is even taking it a step further and creating “PepsiMoji inspired sunglasses” as one advertising strategy paired with their digital advertising which includes a soccer TV Ad with soccer star James Rodriguez.
Emojis are common for us now. They are often a way of expressing ourselves when words just cannot seem to do it. They are also used alongside words as a way to better get our point across. Either way, it seems like a pretty good strategy for Pepsi to take such an intricate part of our daily lives and apply it to their product.
You can read the article here
Now more than ever it is important for ad campaigns to stay on top of current trends. By capitalizing on the emojis, Pepsi is sure to create a buzz. Advertising is all about making the consumer feel a part of something and that they are connected. What may look like some smileys on a bottle to an ordinary person is, in fact connecting them to the product and other users of the product as well. Pepsi advertisers and other brands use this strategy constantly and it can be seen everywhere if you really pay attention the message of ads.
So what do you think about #pepsimoji? How do you think this Pepsi campaign will compare to “Share a Coke?”. Share your thoughts in the comment box.
-Tiersa, Madeline, Syndey S., Sydney W.
IMC Hawks Blog 
I think that this is actually a great idea on Pepsi’s part. Coke’s ad campaign has been internationally known for the longest time and it’s time Pepsi jumps onto the new trends of the world, especially with technology. Although I believe this ad campaign is smart, I will always reach for the never failing diet coke can or bottle when I need that crisp taste.
This is an interesting idea and campaign that Pepsi is bringing to the table. I think that it will really spike consumer interest and brand recognition because in this digital age emojis are a new form of speech. In my English class, we were discussing how emojis have greatly helped people communicate what they are trying to say through text. For example, if someone wanted to make a sarcastic comment, they could add an emoji to ensure that the person knows they are joking. I like Pepsi’s approach and it I believe it will really raise their profits.
I agree that this is a good way to advertise their brand, new trends catch an audience’s attention and I believe they will be more likely to purchase something if they see something they are so familiar with, such as an emoji.
I think it’s smart for Pepsi to use emojis in their new campaign. Emojis are extremely popular right now and can be found everywhere. Many people now use emojis as a form of conversation. Even though the Share a Coke campaign was popular and people enjoyed searching for Coke bottles with their name on it, I think pepsi will be just as popular with people looking for Pepsi bottles with their favorite emojis.
I think this is an awesome idea. They are keeping up with trends and that’s what you have to do to keep people interested. I’m sure people are buying this product just because pepsi made their own emoji.
Pepsi is definitely hoping to get worldwide buzz from their new emoji campaign. I think it is right on trend with pop culture right now. Emoji have added another element to methods of communication that many people enjoy using. However, I don’t think it will be as widely accepted and embraced as Coke’s “Share a Coke” campaign. I feel like Coke has a stronger fan base and having names printed on the bottles is a little more personalized than an emoji, in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of people will think the emoji bottles are cool and can relate, I just don’t think it will be as big of success as Coke’s previous campaign.
This is such a cool idea! I can see this getting a lot of media attention. Using blown up emojis on the cans and bottles will definitely make sure that they get some attention. With Pepsi already being such an established brand they are able to have a little fun with their advertising and keep it interesting for their “fans”.I will for surel purchase one of these when they come out with this campaign, and I’m a Coca Cola kinda girl.
This is a great idea! It’s one of those things that seems so simple that even I could have thought about it, but in reality is actually kind of genius. I love what you say about emoji’s replacing a message that words can’t get across. So, in a way, they are beating Coke’s campaign by doing this. I can already see all of the Instagram’s filling up my timeline of people posting “PepsiMoji’s” which is exactly what the CEO is wanting. The only problem that Pepsi will face with this campaign is being overshadowed by Coke or that Pepsi would be considered a “copycat” to Coke’s campaign. However, I think that Pepsi is one-upping Coke by replacing names with something that words can’t express.
I am a long time emoji user and I have been known to have whole conversations with only the use of emoji’s. I applaud Pepsi for this campaign and I do think it will take off because of the popularity of emoji’s in our culture. I do however believe that Coke has a more personal campaign because of their use of names. Yes, emoji’s are a fun way to communicate, but Coke will always have a leg up on their #shareacoke campaign.
This is awesome! I love emojis, I’m often characterized by my closest friends as the “emoji freak” and I only find this easy to believe simply because I’m a very “theatrical” guy, I often over exaggerate situations and stories and using emojis helps to keep the humor in several text conversations that I have on a day-to-day basis, so it’s nice to see that Pepsi is reaching out to tech savvy individuals and pitching this marketing theme to encourages consumers to buy their products. It’s unique and innovative and I totally agree with the advertising here, I’m a Sprite consumer myself so it would’ve been nice to see Sprite do something cool and creative like this. Kudos Pepsi!
I think that this is a great idea but I think Coke had it better. Coke was trying to create a community with their campaign. I feel like Pepsi is just trying to do something so that they can compete with Coke. Unfortunately, I will always be an avid Coke lover so my thoughts are already biased.
I think that putting emojis on Pepsi products is genius. We all saw how seeing our names on a Coke made us walking advertisements for the brand. I am guilty of taking a picture captioned “share a coke with Emin”, although my name will probably never be on a coke bottle due to its rarity. Somehow though I still managed to get caught up in the share a coke hype. I think that this is exactly what will happen with these Pepsi products. Just like you and the article stated, Emojis are part of our world whether we like it or not. Overall I think that this was a very strategic and smart marketing strategy for Pepsi.
Pepsi idea to use emoji on their products is genius. We use the symbols in conversations every day especially the younger crowed. This is going to accomplish exactly what Pepsi wants by creating a brand identity and a connection with a large demographic. The particular emoji they choose to use is going to be important as well they need to pick something that will get a point across and deliver a message without the use of words. The sun with sunglasses suggests that Pepsi is like summer in that it is low key fun and refreshing. I think that Pepsi has done a great job using some innovative marketing strategies and I can’t wait to see where it takes them.
I think that it’s a good idea on Pepsi’s part to start a new campaign. But when comparing this to the “Share a Coke” campaign, I think it is definitely lackluster. Coke managed to establish an emotional aspect to the simple act of sharing a soda with someone special, and I don’t think that cheesy emojis will do the same thing. However, that may just be their strategy to bring something more sunny and carefree to match the summertime. In my opinion, I don’t think it will be nearly as successful as Coke’s campaign, but maybe the cute little emojis will make other people buy more Pepsi because they are becoming universal icons.
I think this is a smart idea by Pepsi. Although the “share a coke” campaign was pretty popular, it was just names on a bottle. The Pepsi emojis are fun and emojis are a major trend right now, so people will most likely be drawn to the pepsi bottles. Also, many people could not find a coke bottle with their name on it, which could make one feel left out. The Pepsi emojis are inclusive to everyone. Overall, I think that this was a smart move by Pepsi and it will be interesting to see how the public responds to it. Will they choose Coke or Pepsi?
I think the Pepsi emoji idea is really good. People love emojis and just like the Share a Coke campaign, people will look for certain emojis, just like they looked for their name on the Coke bottles. Coke may be more successful, because there were names, and not emojis and it was their idea to begin with, but I think Pepsi will be very successful as well.
“Advertising is all about making the consumer feel a part of something and that they are connected.”
This is so true, and it resonated with me in the context. Brand adhesiveness is crucial in todays cut throat advertising world. By using cultural appropriation, maybe even stepping into the realm of bricolage, Pepsi is revitalizing a product thats been the same for over 50 years. By adding the simple emoji as their sort of “Share a Pepsi” program, they can (with little effort and budgeting) create a campaign that enables more consistency and comfort for the consumer.
I think this is a fun idea. I believe it will be an effective marketing campaign for Pepsi. Although it seems a little out there I think people will enjoy the silly faces on their pepsi. It will give consumers something to talk about even if it is silly. And when people talk about your product thats a good thing.
I really like this Ad campaign that Pepsi is doing. It is extremely relevant to their customers (who they seem to believe are people between 13-50) because of the large amount of people in that age range use emojis and drink soft drinks as well. I like this campaign better than the Coca Cola “Share a Coke” campaign, however I will add that I liked the Coca Cola campaign because it did bring people together and shared the idea of unity. I think that if Pepsi is ever to do so, that this campaign could push Pepsi into the driving seat of soft drinks as it is a very unique, interesting, and relevant idea.
I think this is such a fun idea! I love love love it. I’m honestly surprised that this has not happened sooner. I feel like emojis are so common in our everyday lives. It may sound cheesy or strange, but think of how often on a daily basis people use emojis! I’m sure several people feel connected to emojis, we often use them to express what we can’t say. So Pepsi bringing them into their soda cans which people see on a daily basis is a great idea. I can’t wait to see them!
I understand the strategy that Pepsi is going for here, however I do not feel it will be an effective one. Taking advantage of a popular trend such as emojis is a great technique for advertising, the problem is that people already associate emojis with the original emojis on their phone. These new “emojis” are not going to be used on people’s phones and are essentially just new graphics on their cans. Coke had dominated the cola market for sometime now and I don’t see that changing because of this campaign. Pepsi should stay on this line of thought but try with another popular trend.