Pepsi Blue

Case Study:

“Pepsi Blue”

ITESM

Professor. Sanchez.

The Pepsi-Cola International (PCI) department had established itself by 1995 as a worldwide food and beverage marketer ranking 20 in Fortune 500 and also 30 in global market value (Quelch, 1998). PCI had also brought in revenue of $30.4 billion in 1995 (Quelch, 1998). As we all know, Pepsi’s biggest rival for decades has been Coca-Cola. The rivalry has brought both corporations to constantly find a unique selling proposition that would make their brand stand out in comparison to the other. In 1995, PCI decided that it was time to start a new campaign, Pepsi Blue, to globally launch Pepsi with a revamped brand identity and logo (Quelch, 1998). The $500 investment focused on updating the look of Pepsi packaging (cans and bottles), point-of-sale signage, trucks and vending machines worldwide (Quelch, 1998).

Problem and Opportunity

In 1994, PCI had growing concerns regarding the “inconsistent presentation of the Pepsi brand to consumers.” (Quelch, 1998). Landor Associates were hired by PCI to evaluate their brand image globally and the findings showed that there were “inconsistencies and lack of integration in the presentation of the Pepsi logo and graphics both within countries as well as across countries.” (Quelch, 1998). PCI executives and a team of consultants then decided that it was time to revamp the look of Pepsi merchandise across the globe with the color blue.

Objective

Project Blue was being labeled, “the big idea that could galvanize the Pepsi system worldwide and refocus managers around the world on restoring Pepsi’s marketing edge” as stated by PCI’s President. The objective of the campaign was to strengthen the Pepsi brand identity as well as deliver higher impact in market presence (Quelch, 1998). In addition, PCI established the following tasks that must be done:

1. Develop a flexible design (that could be used effectively on displays and trucks and in a variety of other media)....