- Pepsi’s “Better with Pepsi” marketing campaign showcases all of the ways in which the soft drink pairs with people’s favorite foods, including those at their favorite restaurants. The brand is launching a new campaign, “Local Eats Better With Pepsi,” that will give consumers a chance to showcase their favorite local spots.
- The campaign will allow consumers to spotlight their favorite local restaurant by nominating the spot on PepsiLocalEats.com through the month of October. The winning entries will be featured in a Pepsi campaign and winners will have their favorite dish at their favorite eatery named in their honor.
- To kick-off the campaign, Pepsi enlisted singer Kelly Rowland to promote her favorite hometown hot spot, This Is It Soul Food, and her favored dish – peppered steak with rice and gravy, green beans, and peach cobbler – which has been named in Rowland’s honor and can be had for a limited time for $15 (and is accompanied by a Pepsi fountain drink).
There is something special about the bond people have with their favorite local restaurants. They love to come in, order the food they love off the menu, and share it with everyone they know. Pepsi’s Local Eats Better campaign looks to celebrate that relationship by giving people a chance to highlight their favorite local eatery and have the chance to star in an advertising campaign on its behalf.
“We want to encourage consumers to talk about their favorite local restaurants, post about them on social media, and generally drive wider awareness of them so these valuable local eateries can stay in business, said Scott Finlow, CMO of PepsiCo Global Foodservice. “Local restaurants are small to medium-sized businesses with owners that are spread thin and don’t have the same level of investment in marketing or promotion as their larger competitors. They rely on their consumers to be their loudest mouthpieces and we hope this campaign encourages more of that.”
Secondarily, the campaign is meant to not only shine a spotlight on a local business but also to demonstrate the power of Pepsi’s marketing support, Finlow said.
“We know these spots play an important role in how and where consumers choose to dine out. This program is about celebrating the unique bond that these neighborhood gems have with their most loyal customers,” Finlow said. “We also want these local restaurants to feel that their business is also better with Pepsi because of the 360-degree tools and support we’re providing them. These include custom photography assets that are optimized for use across their own channels, menu optimization, technological tools and more.”
The company enlisted Kelly Rowland because of her “well-known, relatable” qualities, Finlow said. For the promo, Rowland appears in a video in which she speaks about going to This Is It Soul Food in her youth, where it felt like a community gathering and the food tasted like “home.”
“[Kelly’s] story exemplifies what makes these restaurants special,” Finlow said. “They maintain their loyal customers with a warm, welcoming environment along with their delicious food – made better with Pepsi.”
In keeping with the campaign’s social-first ethos, the spot will run online and in social channels, including Meta and TikTok.
“We know that social media is one of the first places that foodies turn to for restaurant recommendations and reviews,” Finlow said. “This campaign is designed to reach them where they are the most engaged and active in the food space.”
