2016 highly commended: Pepsi Max, Branded Content - case study

After years of heavy discounting and adapting big American TVCs, in 2012 Pepsi Max had lost relevance to the primary consumer (18-34s) and become the ‘Poor man’s Coke.’

Traditionally, brands looking to create fame and affinity have turned to broadcast channels such as TV.

The idea
Pepsi Max realised in order to drive credibility, they needed to create content that would acknowledge and confront perceptions that their product story seems somewhat far-fetched.

There were no documented examples of a brand putting YouTube at the heart of their strategy, using it to improve brand measures and ultimately track through to sales performance. This was where Pepsi Max saw the opportunity.

The 'Unbelievable’ Pepsi Max Youtube channel was born. A commitment to re-engineer how they would deliver content and build their own audience base, not simply borrow from elsewhere.

The results
Marketing re-engineered itself to deliver an idea that could truly resonate with its audience. It went from a traditional marketing model using globally created assets and ATL media, to adopting a digital first marketing model and becoming a YouTube publisher brand.

In doing so Pepsi Max UK has re-engaged Millennials and started on a journey to make it the choice of a new generation once again.

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(Please note: parts of this case study may have been redacted for confidentiality purposes.)