The True Genius Behind Pepsi’s Superbowl Social Media Decision

I spend about one to two hours each day reading, researching and tweeting about social media and social media marketing. Since the announcement Pepsi made late last year, that it will not be having ads in the Super Bowl, I am still seeing posts, tweets and articles coming into my inbox via my Google Alerts. This is no small announcement as this will be the first time in 23 years they will not have a Super Bowl presence.

Monday this week, I was continuing my daily routine of research and reading and to my surprise I continue to see posts, articles and buzz surrounding this announcement. I decided to take some additional time to evaluate this significant decision deeper to uncover what lies beyond the obvious.

I started with what we already know… Yes, social media has come into its own and is being recognized by the likes of Pepsi, Starbucks and hundreds of major brands. Yes, this decision moves millions of dollars out of major media and into other more meaningful things. And yes, utilizing social media marketing instead of the black hole of Super Bowl advertising expenses is a far more cost effective endeavor that better engages WITH consumers. But the question remained, what outside of these things was the genius to Pepsi’s decision.

Then it hit me. This decision was masterfully timed. It took into consideration two of the most talked about subjects today, the Super Bowl and Social Media. The resulting buzz created through the major television, radio and print media, not to mention Internet blogs, social media and word of mouth reached well beyond any sum of money Pepsi could have spent this entire year.

The true genus behind Pepsi’s announcement was made from a PR and Marketing perspective and not based on financial considerations as it may have appeared on the surface. The executive team at Pepsi that authorized the major culture shift within their organization should be congratulated, but not more than their PR and Marketing teams that clearly had to push for this decision.

It will be very interesting to see whether Pepsi figures out how leverage this ground-breaking move and continues its commitment to social media, breaking away from its competitors. Will they go back to looking at social media as just something new and interesting, or will they recognized the revolutionary shift they have created and deliver value to fans and followers through continuing to innovate the space?

By Robert M. Caruso
CEO fondalo, Inc.
www.facebook.com/robertcaruso