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PepsiCo’s Super Bowl Marketing: A Strategic Lens on Beverage Marketing Evolution

PepsiCo has long used the Super Bowl not just to air commercials but to shape cultural relevance, drive product innovation awareness, and broaden its marketing ecosystem across platforms and audiences. What started as classic big‑budget TV spots has evolved into a sophisticated, multi‑layered strategy reflecting changes in media, consumer behavior, and category competition. (Marketing Brew)

**Case Study 1 — Doritos Crash the Super Bowl and Crowd‑Sourced Ads**

Approach

PepsiCo’s Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest invited consumers to create ads, choose finalists, and even compete for major prizes — turning customers into co‑creators of the brand’s own Super Bowl content. (PepsiCo)

Strategic Impact

User‑generated content created an emotional connection with fans and increased engagement long before the game itself. This approach democratized advertising, amplified through social media and online voting — long before creator culture dominated mainstream marketing.
It shifted Super Bowl advertising from being a one‑off broadcast event to an ongoing brand conversation that started weeks ahead of the game, building buzz and loyalty.

What this reveals: PepsiCo’s ability to free itself from traditional ad hierarchies and lean into community‑powered creativity — a precursor to today’s influencer and social marketing models. (PepsiCo)

Case Study 2 — Multi‑Brand NFL Playoff Campaigns

Example

In campaigns like the “Road to Super Bowl”, PepsiCo didn’t just promote Pepsi cola — it integrated its snacks (Frito‑Lay) alongside beverages, using NFL stars and immersive storytelling to build excitement across the entire football season. (PepsiCo)

Strategic Impact

By tying products into broader cultural moments (game‑day rituals, legendary players), PepsiCo reinforced consumption occasions (snacks + drinks) instead of pushing a single SKU.
Sponsorship extended beyond TV: retail activations, limited edition packaging, digital giveaways and mobile apps extended fan engagement from pre‑game through post‑game.

What this reveals: PepsiCo’s strategy treats major media moments like the Super Bowl as multi‑touchpoint platforms that coordinate TV, retail, experiential and digital marketing, blurring the line between advertising and brand experience. (PepsiCo)

Case Study 3 — Creative Battles and Emotional Marketing

Creative Direction

Recent Super Bowl campaigns emphasize laugh‑out‑loud humor and emotional resonance to cut through a crowded advertising landscape. PepsiCo’s current teams aim for “out‑loud laughs” and shareable moments, seeking spots that perform well across broadcast and social feeds. (Marketing Brew)

Strategic Impact

With categories like zero sugar beverages and healthier soda alternatives growing, PepsiCo uses Super Bowl scale to spotlight new ideas — not just droves of product shots but narratives consumers remember.
Even amid rising competition (from brands like Poppi or Liquid Death), PepsiCo’s heavy creative investing signals a shift away from pure product push toward entertainment‑led messaging that places the brand in culture, not just commercials.

What this reveals: Today’s beverage marketing is experience‑driven — ads aren’t just about product features but emotion, humor and shareability across screens and platforms. (Marketing Brew)

Case Study 4 — Integrated Digital and Real‑World Presence

Omnichannel Playbook

Retail and digital touchpoints are increasingly aligned with Super Bowl campaigns. For example, PepsiCo’s omnichannel playbook ensures that messaging seen in digital ads, physical stores and mobile checkouts is consistent and mutually reinforcing — driving incremental sales and deeper consumer engagement. (Loblaw Advance)

Strategic Impact

This isn’t just “putting an ad on TV.” It’s coordinating earned, owned, paid and retail media to meet people wherever they are — in stores, on social, on streaming, and at the Super Bowl event itself.

What this reveals: Beverage marketing has evolved from single‑moment commercials to an integrated, cross‑function campaign machine that connects brand moments with real purchasing occasions. (Loblaw Advance)

Key Marketing Insights from PepsiCo’s Evolving Strategy

1. Cultural Sponsorship Over Pure Advertising

PepsiCo leans into cultural relevance (NFL partnership, fan experiences) rather than pure product advertising, shaping associations that go beyond beverages. (PepsiCo)

2. Audience Participation and Social Momentum

By involving consumers in creative processes (e.g., Doritos), PepsiCo transforms passive viewers into active brand ambassadors, leveraging crowd‑sourced engagement that pays off on social platforms and digital channels. (PepsiCo)

3. Entertainment + Experimentation

Super Bowl ads are now content assets rather than static commercials — designed to be memorable, shareable and extendable across platforms. (Marketing Brew)

4. Omnichannel Brand Experiences

Ads are only the starting point: omnichannel activations, retail tie‑ins, digital activations, and experiential marketing mean PepsiCo’s Super Bowl strategy touches consumers at every phase — before, during, and after the game. (Loblaw Advance)

Challenges & Commentary

Industry observers note the rising costs of mere broadcast spots (often over $7–8 million for a 30‑second ad) and the diminishing singular power of TV alone — a reason PepsiCo and other brands shift spend into digital, social, experience and retail integration around the Super Bowl. (NetChoice)

At the same time, creative directors emphasize that simple humor or short attention‑catching moments just aren’t enough; modern ads need to resonate strongly on social, reflect audience insights, and link back to product storytelling that aligns with brand strategy. (Marketing Brew)

Summary: What PepsiCo’s Strategy Reveals

Strategic Shift	What It Reveals About Beverage Marketing
Crowd‑sourced ad creative	Involving fans builds affinity and multiplies reach beyond paid media. (PepsiCo)
Brand ecosystem campaigns	Aligning beverages with snacks and experiences increases share of mind and stomach. (PepsiCo)
Creative excellence & emotional resonance	Ads must be entertaining and shareable, not just promotional. (Marketing Brew)
Omnichannel alignment	Winning requires integrated campaigns — from digital to retail. (Loblaw Advance)

Why It Matters

PepsiCo’s Super Bowl strategy underscores a broader evolution in beverage marketing: moving from one‑off brand moments to holistic, cultural, and digitally native brand narratives that play out across devices, channels and consumer touchpoints.

The Super Bowl remains a magnifying glass on trends, showing how having a great spot on Sunday night is no longer enough — today’s beverage marketing must be multi‑platform, participatory, culturally resonant and tightly integrated with retail and digital ecosystems to truly move markets and spark conversations. (Marketing Brew)

Here’s a full, evidence‑based look at what PepsiCo’s Super Bowl ad strategy reveals about the evolution of its beverage marketing — with case studies from the 2025 Super Bowl and longer‑term marketing shifts, plus commentary from insiders and analysts.

Overview: PepsiCo’s Super Bowl Strategy in 2025

Multi‑Brand Showcase

For Super Bowl LIX (2025), PepsiCo featured multiple brands — not just Pepsi itself — across creative campaigns.
Rather than relying on a single heart‑stopper, PepsiCo spotlighted Doritos, Lay’s and Mountain Dew Baja Blast in ads chosen for their resonance with fans and cultural moments. These selections came from creative submissions and editorial review, reflecting both legacy appeal and new energy. (PepsiCo)

This approach highlights a portfolio‑driven strategy where individual beverage and snack brands get big‑stage exposure rather than only flagging Pepsi cola — a shift from decades past when soda alone claimed the spotlight.

Case Studies: How 2025’s Super Bowl Spots Reveal Strategy

Case Study 1 — Consumer‑Driven Creative: Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl”

PepsiCo revived the consumer‑generated content concept with Doritos’ 25th Super Bowl appearance — choosing winner entries from thousands of consumer submissions. This co‑creative process encouraged deep fan engagement long before kickoff and extended advertising discussions into digital channels and social media. (PepsiCo)

What this reveals:

Marketing is no longer a broadcast‑only moment — it begins weeks earlier with audience participation.
Brands now treat the Super Bowl as a multi‑stage storytelling event rather than a simple commercial slot.
Crowd‑sourced creative increases emotional investment and extends campaign relevance beyond the 30‑second TV window.

Case Study 2 — Emotional and Humor‑Focused Creative (Mountain Dew)

PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew Baja Blast ad went for humor and personality, featuring familiar characters like the “Mountain Dude.” The intent was to elicit out‑loud laughs rather than milder reactions. According to PepsiCo’s SVP of marketing, this reflects a deliberate push in creative intensity for this high‑stakes environment. (Marketing Brew)

Strategic insight:

Super Bowl ads serve as both category advertising and brand personality platforms.
The competitive beverage space — including new entrants like Poppi and Liquid Death — pushes PepsiCo to craft ads that don’t just promote products but create memorable moments. (Marketing Brew)

Case Study 3 — Cross‑Brand Cultural Activations (Lay’s)

This year’s Lay’s spot celebrated family farmers and real ingredients, positioning the snack alongside PepsiCo’s beverages in authentic, lifestyle‑oriented storytelling. (PepsiCo)

What it reveals:

Ads are blurring into brand narrative and cultural values — not just product push.
Health and authenticity, tied to broader trends in beverage and snack marketing, play a major role (see healthier beverage innovation below). (Baking Business)

Broader Marketing Shifts Evidenced by Super Bowl Tactics

Portfolio Diversification in Advertising

PepsiCo’s Super Bowl presence now reflects its diverse beverage portfolio — from Mountain Dew and Pepsi Zero Sugar to better‑for‑you products and snacks.

In 2025 PepsiCo revived the Pepsi Challenge during Super Bowl weekend with blind taste tests between Pepsi Zero Sugar and Coke Zero Sugar — an experiential activation rather than a TV commercial. (B Strategy Hub)

This shows a shift from traditional soda elite ads to multi‑brand playbooks that integrate live experiences and on‑ground activations.

Comments & Strategic Context from Marketing Pros

PepsiCo’s marketing leadership has openly framed the Super Bowl landscape as increasingly crowded and competitive. They argue this drives them to raise creative stakes and focus on laugh‑out‑loud responses over modest reactions — underscoring that ads must perform beyond TV into social feeds. (Marketing Brew)
PepsiCo marketing VP Stacy Taffet noted that emerging competitors like Poppi and Liquid Death actually help the soda category by prompting renewed consumer interest. Rather than fearing category disruption, PepsiCo acknowledges competition as a way to reengage audiences. (Marketing Brew)

This comment signals a shift from defensive positioning (“we own soda”) to category‑expanding thinking. Instead of avoiding rivals, PepsiCo embraces their presence as a signal that beverage culture is active and evolving.

Strategic Themes Emerging from PepsiCo’s Super Bowl Approach

1. Engagement Beyond the 30‑Second Spot

PepsiCo’s Super Bowl strategy reflects a key truth: the event is just one touchpoint.
Ads are part of weeks‑long content cycles — including teasers, consumer co‑creation, experiential activations and social content — to build extended relevance and buzz. (PepsiCo)

2. Creative Intensity Matters More Than Ever

With more brands vying for attention and the bar rising each year, PepsiCo’s priority has shifted to emotional resonance and humor that works on mass broadcast and social sharing. (Marketing Brew)

3. Category Marketing, Not Just Product Marketing

PepsiCo frames Super Bowl ads not as isolated product commercials but as category cultural moments:

Reinforcing brand heritage and emotional connection
Celebrating real voices (farmers, fans, characters)
Positioning products as part of lifestyle occasions (game day, parties, social gatherings)

This aligns with broader beverage trends that emphasize experience over mere refreshment.

Comments & Reactions From Observers

On social platforms, some fans note that PepsiCo’s choice of ads (e.g., multiple Frito‑Lay and Mountain Dew spots) can feel like they are spreading attention across brands instead of using all available game slots for Pepsi cola itself — suggesting a strategic portfolio play rather than classic flagship dominance. (Reddit)

Some observers have also pointed out that super‑large budgets for multiple ads — including experiential activations and taste challenges — reflect PepsiCo’s attempt to maximize integrated brand impact rather than just broadcast reach. (Reddit)

Key Takeaways: What PepsiCo’s Super Bowl Strategy Reveals

Strategic Insight	What It Reveals
Multi‑brand Activation	Super Bowl is now a portfolio showcase, not just a soda ad. (PepsiCo)
Extended Campaign Cycles	Advertising begins before the game and continues after. (PepsiCo)
Creative Intensity	Humor, emotion and shareability matter more than ever. (Marketing Brew)
Experiential & Category Marketing	PepsiCo uses live events and activations to embed ads within lifestyle occasions. (Marketing Brew)
Competitive Positioning	PepsiCo sees competition (e.g., Poppi, Liquid Death) as expanding category interest. (Marketing Brew)

Why It Matters for Beverage Marketing

PepsiCo’s evolving Super Bowl strategy reveals an industry‑wide shift in how beverage brands use big media moments:

From one‑off commercials to continuous media ecosystems
From product push to experience and identity narratives
From broadcast‑only exposure to multi‑platform storytelling

In a crowded beverage category where health trends, customization and new competitors are reshaping consumer choice, PepsiCo uses the Super Bowl not just to advertise drinks but to signal brand relevance in culture and community. (Baking Business)