Pepsi's Provocative Promotion
September 9, 2005 | By Jack Yoest
Indra Nooyi
Indra K. Nooyi, CFO and President of PepsiCo first came to our attention for her middle-finger namaste to America. She outlined how the USA gives the world the middle finger in a speech at the graduation ceremony for Columbia MBA's. This caused a number of adverse reactions including boycotts by some of the US Armed Forces in Iraq.
But wait, there's more.
Hopeless is his pet name...You may never find him, but you've got great taste.
Back in 1999 Nooyi was a Corporate Officer and the Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Development. Here's an example from a campaign in Australia of Pepsi corporate strategy from that era.
What an odd, yet clever, man-mocking ad.
Especially for men: Pepsi was hoping that the nipples visuals would distract the guys from the text. Read the message? ... Well maybe not. ("Text?" Male at Pepsi focus group asks: "What Text?")
And the slit mini-skirt as she leans back on her can -- but not a can of Pepsi to be seen.
Anyway, the subtext is clear: as long as women have Pepsi, women don't need men. Nooyi, marketing Pepsi like a feminine hygiene product. Interesting strategy for a company that might need male consumers.
Pepsi pitchman, Kanye West
NFL kickoff show
Here's the story board: Selling to male consumers. It's football season. And Pepsi has a new pitchman: one Kanye West, who was, "...loudly and lustily booed during [the] NFL kickoff show."
The Maneuver Marketing Communique, one of the best business blogs in the business, provides a gut check on West as headliner at the pre-show for Thursday night's NFL game. And his debut as a Pepsi spokesman:
I am sitting here watching the opening entertainment for the new NFL season and one of the "star" performers is Kanye West. Yes, the same Kanye West who spewed one of the most ignorant and hate-filled diatribes during a live TV benefit for Katrina survivors earlier this week. His "performance" this evening was followed up by a Pepsi TV spot starring Kanye West. It turned my stomach.
Read Maneuver's entire post. They are referring to Kanye's rant live on NBC that "President Bush doesn't like black people."
(The clip is Must See TV! Mike Myers' reaction shot, standing next to Kanye, is a case study for media consultants.)
Mr. West is a Grammy Award winning rapper and Pepsi Pitch Person (P3) with a natural angst that passes for talent. He believes that AIDS was formulated by the US government to kill black people.
(It is not known if Nooyi shares West's understanding of AIDS.)
Kanye West is also a producer for gangsta rapper, Ludacris, who was also a P3, until public outcry forced Pepsi to play another tune. Ludacris is best known for "edgy" lyrics:
Ludacris, formerly on Pepsi payroll
I got my twin glock .40's cocked back/Me and my homies, so drop that.My shotguns are cold and hard . . ./My triggers are always talking about some squeeze me, squeeze me.
Hollow bullets I pull it,/I'm about to live in vain/And then I drill 'em, refill 'em,/make sure they feel the pain.
And my favorite, "I've got ho's in different area codes." Ludacris can make this rhyme. A style like Ogden Nash, content like Tony Soprano: Ludacris and Kanye knocking back a Pepsi hangin' with the ho's at Bada Bing.
Pepsi didn't learn no lesson from Ludacris. Kanye West recently announced that his upcoming 2006 album will be entitled: Good Ass Job.
And, say Pepsi, please.
Thank you (foot)notes:
Update 23 Sept 05: Ace has Kanye swiping.
Update 23 Sept 05: Mudville Gazette has Open Post.
http://www.dadsnow.org/boycott/pepsi.htm
