Pepsi and a Thought About Cause Marketing, Authenticity and Commonality

Pepsi’s $20 million Super Bowl switch to Social Media raises questions about cause marketing, authenticity, and commonality.

According to ABC News, the Pepsi Refresh Project will fund local community projects and hopes to “start a movement where others will begin funding community projects in the same manner.”

This idea of marketing through social change is Cause Marketing. And whilst the idea of a ‘cause’ as marketing has existed since the 1970s, it has morphed into a moniker for any gathering of community around a mutual passion or pain.

What is Authenticity?

When I look at Pepsi’s plans, I see a fundamental question about authenticity. Either the platform is the product – in which case there aren’t strong authenticity issues – or the platform is not the product, in which case there are.

What has Pepsi got to do with social change? That’s the issue. If you are mowing lawns with a church, the church is being what it is. But people participating in community projects aren’t simultaneously drinking Pepsi.

What's in Common?

It is easier to unite people around a platform that is the product, because your audience partakes of your product simultaneously as they participate in your platform. When the platform is not the product, the commonality is forced rather than natural.