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How social media is changing brands at PepsiCo at OMMA Social

In honor of the the first major brand to eschew Super Bowl ads in favor of social media, on Super Bowl weekend Eve, we’re compelled to post these insights from PepsiCo and OMMA Social.

Social media is growing as a marketing tool; it is a great way to reach consumers.  PepsiCo has seen how social media impacts their campaigns: It is a key driver of business performance.

PepsiCo’s  Director of Digital and Social Media Bonin Bough described how social media is changing brands at PepsiCo.

Dewmocracy demonstrates how to galvanize your fans

PepsiCo is in its second year of using social media.  During this time 

  • Users have created 3 flavors of soda
  • College humor utilized
  • Has become an immersive experience
  • Dew fan so rabid: Perfect audience
  • PepsiCo is beating expectations on sales side

SoBe beverages advises consulting new resources for new ideas

  • Let digital agency run the show
  • Drop traditional ad agency
  • TV spots

Foursquare and blue app: Can we transform loyalty?

  • Leverage location-base services to create loyalty as person enters store
  • Approach location from a portfolio, move beyond Foursquare
  • Don’t let the perfect stand in the way of the good

Universal Purpose Code: innovation leads to connections

Social media is changing brands at PepsiCo.  Bough advises listening to the consumer and incorporating consumers’ opinions into the business to ensure continued loyalty and success.

Editor’s note You don’t have to be a big brand to adapt these successes and scale them to your customers and target audiences. Posts such as this inspire great opportunities for Designated Editor clients.

We have to ask: Who are these people and how can we make it easy to buy? Rishad Tobaccowala: “Data Doesn’t Bleed” Keynote at OMMA Behavioral

Agencies, consultants, B2Bs need to listen to clients: They really want to know what their customers want

State of the market

  • Too much plumbing not enough poetry
  • Too much keeping an eye on money sources: VCs are not the answer
  • Not possible to understand a person based on 6 pieces of data, mostly beyond behavioral
  • We need to think much broader about people, need to be thinking both off and online
  • It’s not about pure simplicity

Marketers’ perceptions

  • 33% say behavioral is important
  • 50% say paid search
  • 30% say SEO

Don’t underestimate how overworked agencies are or how smart they have become

Keep in mind what are they looking for

  1. Continuous improvement
  2. Service (answer the phone)
  3. Collaboration

Recommendations for online agencies and marketers

  • Trust is lacking – across all industries – trust expedites speed
  • If you’re doing a powerpoint, you’ve already lost, you’re defending
  • Take clients out for a drink and treat them like people
  • There should be a strong link between behavioral and creative agencies.

Rishad Tobaccowala @rishadt serves as a key component of the VivaKi executive management board (Digitas, Razorfish), where he oversees innovation and reinvention efforts … Prior to his current role, Tobaccowala was CEO of Denuo – a Publicis Groupe company that invents, inspires and instigates new forms of creativity to help brands meet challenges of modern marketplaces.


OMMA Behavioral: Winning the Data Games of 2010
“Data, data everywhere. But which attributes and behaviors really match your marketing goals? In 2009, new technologies and layers of user data flooded the marketplace — from social affinities to purchase patterns, demand-side agency platforms to optimization platforms for both buy side and sell sides. But in 2010, marketers need to roll up their sleeves and make these tools work more efficiently for their clients. It is not just about vetting the vendors and running tests anymore. Real money is coming online to be allocated in ways that prove effectiveness. Execution is key, and behavioral targeting is now an integral part of that marketing mix.”