With Memorial Day just around the bend, Pepsi is staking a claim as the superior soft drink for grilling as part of a long-running platform centered on food pairings. The brand enlisted Bobby Flay for the effort that positions its beverages as the ideal drink to go with burgers, hot dogs and other cookout fare. The celebrity chef helped develop two new limited-time offerings, Pepsi Lime and Pepsi Peach, that are intended to complement meals on the grill and will be available at national retail throughout the summer, differing from past seasonal LTO strategies from the marketer that had narrower releases.
Aligned with Pepsi’s focus on encouraging “unapologetic enjoyment,” messaging for the campaign, titled “Grills Night Out,” emphasizes that grilling doesn’t need to be reserved for major holidays like Fourth of July. Instead, Pepsi is pushing people to break out the charcoal or propane as an everyday occasion, citing Harris Poll data that revealed 84% of consumers expect to grill more this year compared to 2023.
“It doesn't always have to be a big, 30-person event. It can be just on a Tuesday,” said Pepsi CMO Todd Kaplan in an interview.
Creative is anchored by a trio of TV commercials that walk through the grilling process with backing from retro pop tunes including “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” by Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons. The first spot, “Prep,” stars Flay as he dons his signature apron and demonstrates his culinary skills, throwing in some dance moves for good measure. Follow-up ads “Cook” and “Enjoy” keep the animated energy going as people gather in backyards and on patios to commiserate over seared meats, veggies and Pepsi. A Spanish-language spot, “Carne Asada, Parrillada o Asado,” is part of Pepsi’s outreach to Hispanic consumers.
In addition, Flay features in a social video series to share grill tips and guides for preparing dishes such as his Green Chili Burger. Flay was appointed as Pepsi ambassador in April, a response to how food content and tastemakers are increasingly popular with consumers, according to Kaplan.
“Half of the stuff I see on my social channels [is] people prepping food, eating food,” said Kaplan. “Food culture is really hitting a peak of interest right now in the country.”
Other media elements of “Grills Night Out” span in-store displays, digital content shorts and stunts, while Pepsi has partnered with Instacart for a giveaway running through May 19 that will see winners in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles secure jumbo-sized orders of grilling essentials. VaynerMedia, Direct Focus and Acceleration Community of Companies aided on the campaign launching for a key sales window for soda.
“As you think of it from a category standpoint, the summer is one of the biggest timeframes. We want to make sure our brand is top of mind,” said Kaplan. “It’s important to drive that deeper association.”
Shaking up strategy
“Grills Night out,” a pun on “girls night out,” extends a #BetterWithPepsi platform that debuted in 2021 and argues the PepsiCo marketer’s beverages are the best complement for a variety of meals. The original campaign referenced chief rival Coke’s relationship with leading fast-food chains through canny ads that used the restaurants’ mascots and iconography to instead promote Pepsi.
#BetterWithPepsi has changed tactically over the years, with some of the combative edge turned down. Last summer’s #BetterWithPepsi push starred competitive eater Joey Chestnut and hawked a ketchup-inspired beverage called Colachup for July Fourth. Pepsi Lime and Pepsi Peach, which were created in collaboration with Flay, are more conventional flavors that will have wider availability to consumers. The idea is that the sweetness of peach and sharpness of lime amplify the flavors in grilled dishes, while Pepsi’s citric acid content and carbonation can break down grease and aid with digestion.
“These are actually available for sale at retailers everywhere nationally all summer long whereas some of the stuff we’ve done in the past were more limited drops,” said Kaplan.
Shifting the LTO approach comes as marketing activity in the soft drink category is again on the rise, with Coke recently introducing its first permanent flavor addition in years and Sprite going toe-to-toe with Starry, PepsiCo’s new lemon-lime contender. Alcohol giants like Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors also try to own cookout season, but Pepsi sees room for multiple players as part of its argument that grilling should be a more casual, regular habit versus something done once in a blue moon.
“It’s not always about having a bender on a Saturday night,” said Kaplan. “Grilling is such a specific occasion that we know we have the right to win.”
