Pepsi Refresh Project: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:38, 23 August 2018

Revision as of 20:39, 23 August 2018

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==Gulf disaster==

In response to the [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill]], on July 12, 2010 a special competition was announced within the PRP: '''Do Good for the Gulf'''. An additional $1.3 million was committed to projects for communities in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas which were adversely affected by the disaster.<ref>Schwartz, Ariel: [http://www.fastcompany.com/1676942/pepsi-refresh-projects-do-good-for-the-gulf-campaign-takes-off "Pepsi Refresh Project's "Do Good For the Gulf" Campaign Takes Off"] Fast Company, August 2, 2010</ref> The application period was a full month, the response was overwhelming, and 32 projects were funded with grants,<ref>[http://www.refresheverything.com/blog/2010/07/14/do-good-for-the-gulf-be-a-part-of-another-winning-team/ "Do Good for the Gulf: Be a Part of Another Winning Team"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130215212/http://www.refresheverything.com/blog/2010/07/14/do-good-for-the-gulf-be-a-part-of-another-winning-team/ |date=2010-11-30 }} Refresh Everything website</ref> which ranged from providing mental health services for oil disaster victims, to building seafood farms to help employ displaced workers, to creating shelters for animals that lost their homes.<ref>Schwartz, Ariel: [http://www.fastcompany.com/1676942/pepsi-refresh-projects-do-good-for-the-gulf-campaign-takes-off "Pepsi Refresh Project Announces Do Good for the Gulf Finalists"] Fast Company, September 2, 2010</ref>

==Negative side==

This case is an excellent example of the risks associated with digital promotions. Given their novelty, the appropriate metrics for assessing their success is often unclear. Thus, it is fairly common for firms such as Pepsi to place emphasis on audience metrics such as number of page views or retweets that have little to do with actual product sales. This is potentially problematic, as an increase in sales is the ultimate

purpose for engaging in promotion in the first place. From this perspective, the Pepsi Refresh project was

quite unsuccessful. If anything, this campaign had a negative impact on Pepsi sales. One of the problems

was that the nature of the Refresh campaign (projects to help society) had little to do with the Pepsi brand, which is focused on youth and fun. As a result, this campaign lacked authenticity.

==References==