PepsiCo's New Year's Revolutions

Some people think that when a new year comes around everything is new. Clean slate. New year equals new life. I'm not one of those people. You probably still work at the same place, have the same girlfriend, and the same problems. January 1st is just the day after December 31st for me. Not that I don't celebrate new year's like its 1999 (is that phrase even applicable anymore??), but I live in reality. Apparently Pepsi Co. has adopted that philosophy and has attempted to refresh everything. Literally, I mean just change all their stuff.

When the new Pepsi logo was launched, I thought that it was a smart move to use the wordplay to allow consumers to become accustomed to the new look. After all, Pepsi has had some failure in trying to change the formula in the past so this is a pretty big step for them. A brave move which I respect. The ads are all over the city, on top of taxi's, you name it. They are vibrant and unmissable. The words inspire cheer and are definitely riding the Obama wave that he may indeed refresh everything. It's also simple, which is good because we all know what Pepsi is. Don't overcomplicate our lives.

Additionally, as a copywriter, I think it's brilliant to associate a list of words directly to Pepsi. Maybe next time I hear hooray or howdy, I will think of Pepsi. Ok, maybe I'll never hear anyone saying hooray or howdy, but my point is that word association is smart. I applaud TBWA/Chiat for this. My irritation came when I saw their new campaign for Gatorade.



TBWA,who recently got the Gatorade account in April from Element 79, was not content with just rebranding Pepsi, but they wanted to rebrand Gatorade too, which is part of Pepsi Co. Ok, so kudos to Pepsi Co. for having such big balls in 2009, but wouldn't they realize the similarities in advertising between two products in the same company? I saw a bunch of bus shelter posters today for Gatorade today when I was driving to school. They were using the same vibrant colors in the background and white letters that said "no excuses", "shine on", and "be tough". My friend (who's in advertising) saw them too. He thought they were part of the Pepsi campaign. Granted the Gatorade ones don't have the logo replacing the O's, but it's confusing. A single phrase in a white font over a colorful background for two different beverages under the same company seems pretty ridiculous. Is that all TBWA has graphically? If it's confusing for my ad friend, imagine for regular consumers. Comm checks anyone? If they were different agencies, then maybe it would be coincidence, but from the same one? Come on guys.

I get the Gatorade rebranding. I kind of like it. I like the fact that I can refer to my flavor as "no excuses" instead of "rain". Gatorade has always been about going the extra mile in athletic competition. I don't like that it's not Gatorade anymore though. It's 'G'. It's nothing but a g thing now. This brings me to my next point. While I kind of like the repackaging of 'G', I absolutely hate the TV executions. Watch it below.



What's G? Who knows? Many people had to look it up on Google: the other big G. Gatorade is for athletes. Why are the Jabba Wockees on there? Probably just to throw us off. And why is Lil' Wayne the voice over. Are you serious? How is he shedding a positive light on the G brand? If anything, he's really making G stand for gangsta. His raps are ludicrously vulgar. That's who G wants to voice their product. I read another blog that said Lil' Wayne was the voice of our generation. If people in my generation believe that then I'm ashamed to be a part of it.

Overall, I prefer Coke anyways so I'll keep drinking that. Speaking of which, they also have changed their brand identity from "the Coke side of life" to "open happiness", but that's another blog. Point is that Obama promised change and we're starting to see change even in our favorite beverages.