Super Bowl Goes Mobile With Pepsi

Great little read on all the ways Pepsi came at customers throughout the Super Bowl, other than Lady Gaga jumping off the roof of the stadium (wow).

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/24444.preview

Here is a snippet from the piece:

PepsiCo's annual sponsorship of the Super Bowl Half Time show was among some, but not many, that effectively tapped social media and mobile for unique interactive elements that leveraged live-streams, paid social advertising and giveaways.

The Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl Halftime Show leveraged a slew of mobile tactics leading up to the performance and after...

Meanwhile, others didn't do much in mobile at all.  Is Pepsi a leader or an outlier and what is effective and what might work for you?

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Fun Mobile Loyalty Programs

The folks over at Mobile Marketer have an excellent piece on the loyalty of Millennials. Not surprisingly it has been found that a fun mobile loyalty program will attract this tech-savvy generation.

Shocker.  However, it is always good to formalize our understanding of the things we come to take for granted. Big retailers, such as Target, are taking notice.

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/research/21526.html

Here is a snippet from the piece:

With recent research showing that fun experiences are key to loyalty for millennials, savvy marketers such as Sephora, Pepsi and Target are leveraging mobile to bring elements of gaming, social media and relevant content for more enjoyable programs.

The millennial demographic needs to be reached with a variety of different tactics compared to other consumers, as their values vastly differ from others, according to a new survey from Colloquy. Marketers need to focus on creating meaningful experiences rather than economic gains when it comes to reaching millennials through loyalty and mobile, as these consumers hold this type of marketing in much higher regard.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Walmart and PepsiCo in the News

A couple stories on Walmart and one on Pepsi intersecting with Walmart are worth your attention.

First up is news of another technology acquisition by Walmart.

http://supermarketnews.com/marketing/walmartlabs-acquires-shopper-insight-technology-punchtab

Here is a snippet from the news:

Wal-Mart Stores’ technology arm, @WalmartLabs, on Tuesday said it has acquired Silicon Valley software company PunchTab, with intentions of using the company’s technology to tailor offers to its Sam’s Club shoppers.
...
Walmart described PunchTab as “a software platform that empowers brands like Walmart and Sam’s Club to better understand and engage with customers in a unified way online, on mobile and in physical stores.”

Next up is one I believe is big news.  National manufacturer brands want to regain lost leverage over retailers and digital may be the key for them.  This move of a senior Walmart mobile exec to Pepsi is huge.

https://www.internetretailer.com/2015/09/22/pepsi-hires-walmartcom-veteran-head-e-commerce

Here is a snippet from the news:

Gibu Thomas, former Walmart.com senior vice president of mobile and digital strategy, is Pepsi’s new general manager of e-commerce.

Global food and beverage manufacturer PepsiCo. has a new head of e-commerce, and he’s one of the experienced Internet executives responsible for helping Wal-Mart Stores Inc. become a $12.1 billion global e-retailer.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Snapchat Geofilters and PepsiCo on Digital

I'm clumping two stories together today as they are related.

First is a fun little read on Snapchat's growing marketing capabilities that are benefiting quick service restaurants most of all.

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/why-qsrs-retail-brands-see-highest-commerce-potential-with-snapchat-geofilters

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Marketers such as McDonald’s and Lilly Pulitzer are taking to social media to invite their customers to snap photos in their physical establishments, emblazon them with branded geofilters on photo-sharing application Snapchat and send them to friends or family. As location-based data becomes even more prevalent this year, this strategy could indirectly aggregate more new customers as mobile users become inspired by their friends’ Snaps and head to local stores to purchase items.

“In terms of leveraging branded geofilter stickers specifically: that is obviously just one of the ways to capitalize on an increasingly robust segmentation and targeting toolkit offered by Snapchat,” said James McNally, director of business development at Fuzz Productions, Brooklyn, NY.

Next is a brief interview with a PepsiCo digital marketing rep:

http://www.canadiangrocer.com/top-stories/pepsicos-james-clarke-talks-digital-55083

Here is a snippet from that piece:

PepsiCo Foods Canada has a strong marketing team – I’d say one of the best in the industry. We had a new CMO join the Canadian organization last year and one of her asks of the marketing department is to implement a 70-20-10 rule in our 2016 plans: 70% of time and money should be dedicated to “tried and true” channels, 20% to “safe bets” and 10% to “experimental/cutting edge” opportunities. The 10% is a great place to explore some of these emerging digital spaces – this where amazing things can happen.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Potato Chip Cookbook on Pinterest

Lay's is taking social media quite seriously.  How about an entire cookbook on Pinterest, the first of its kind, to gain some followers?

Here is the story:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/245905/lays-wavy-creating-first-pinterest-based-cookbook.html

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Lay’s Wavy, the ridged-cut potato chip brand from PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division, has partnered with the DIY/e-commerce site Brit + Co to create what is being billed as the first Pinterest cookbook.

The cookbook, which will ultimately contain 40 recipes, is being put together in two phases, with the first 20 available for download in mid-May, and the others in the fall.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0130 Coupons and Product Idea Savers

Two stories I found today grabbed my attention.

The first is a story about coupon redemption after the purchase.  Sounds paradigm breaking right?  Makes a lot of sense in many ways.  Here is the article:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/229101/mobile-coupon-redemption-after-the-shopping-trip.html

Here is a snippet from that piece:

A couple of years ago, a California startup named Endorse created what seemed to be a path of least consumer resistance for mobile coupons.

The well-funded startup challenged the age-old concept of coupons by creating an app that allowed consumers to take a photo of their grocery shopping receipt, upload it to Endorse and receive credit that could be redeemed for cash, which was sent by check or via PayPal.

The offers, from brands including Kraft, General Mills and PepsiCo, were refreshed one day each week...

Next up is an app that is in limited availability at the moment that lets you use the pictures on your phone to identify items for purchase.  The kicker is what comes after.  The app then tracks the price of the items in your shopping list and can notify you of savings events.  These third party aggregaters are the real killers of brick & mortar retail.  They'll all be forced to be "honest" now because the consumer will have too much information.  Only the luxury brands will be able to get away with large markups even on a day to day basis.

Here is the article:

http://appadvice.com/appnn/2014/07/snapup-app-automagically-turns-your-screenshots-into-shopping-lists

The app is named 'SnapUp'.  Here is a snippet from that piece:

Basically, SnapUp lets you shop simply by taking screenshots of products you want from any app or mobile-optimized website, be it on Amazon, Best Buy, Target, or any of your favorite shopping apps and sites. The app then “automagically” turns your “snaps” into easily viewable and manageable shopping lists.

Pretty neat, right? But perhaps the neatest feature of SnapUp is its ability to monitor the prices of the items in your shopping lists and notify you whenever any of the items undergoes a price drop.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant