PepsiCo Company Analysis

1. A Report on the Product and Promotional Strategies Offered by PepsiCo Corporation

Pepsi is one of the most prominent brands in the world. This product has undeniably gone through a lot of stages before it finally achieved the recognition as one of the market leaders in the global trade industry. Apparently, the dominance of Coca-Cola helped the company to succeed in the global market through the development of strategic marketing plan and creation of well-conceptualized advertisements (Haig, 2004). The fact that Pepsi was able to penetrate the global market and established strong brand recall among the customers could already be considered as a great experiment of creative combinations of marketing mix and effective execution of marketing techniques in the emerging market.

Product

            Pepsi has established its brand name in the market with a strong recall to the customers not only because of the advertisements release for the product and the famous celebrities who endorsed them to the market; the constant innovation of Pepsi products serve as the key to capture the attention of the market and gain the customers loyalty. The Pepsi Cola has already captured the market; however, the company continued to develop more products to conform to the food trends and consumers’ preferences. The dominance and prominence of Pepsi-Cola did not stop on its leadership in the marketplace; the company continuously innovates creating new products, new packages, and new flavors in varying shapes and sizes to satisfy the needs and answer the demands of the growing market. PepsiCo’s brands include Pepsi, Tropicana Juice Drinks, Aquafina, Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew, IZZE, SoBe, Tropicana Twister Soda, and Mug (PepsiCo, 2009).

            Numerous companies have been trying to penetrate the global market by offering beverages products but the strong foundation of Pepsi-Cola had gone through its highest peak making the companies strive harder in entering the emerging market. Aside from the beverages, the company has established partnerships with other brands like Gatorade, Frito-Lay, Quaker, and Gatorade. Through this partnership, the company will be able to penetrate wider consumers and offer the products to diverse customer base. In every product of PepsiCo, the company has been targeting huge market to purchase the product from the supermarket shelves. From children to adults, Pepsi has undeniably gained the loyalty of the market. The company positions each PepsiCo product as healthy and non-carbonated in order to add positive concepts on the consumers’ behaviors.

Promotion

            The journey of Pepsi to reach its position in the global market was a remarkable story of brand wars and creative ideas in promotion and advertising. Pepsi boomed in the mainstream with its Pepsi generation which has become a part of society’s definition of modern youth. Apparently, there was no such thing as Pepsi generation until the PepsiCo created it. The past generation had witnessed how the society accepted the Pepsi products and willingly involved themselves to the new generation that Pepsi had created for them and for the next generation (Frank, 1997). While Coca-Cola had labeled its products as the “first” and the “original”; PepsiCo fought back with its “hip and youthful” concept.

            The battling in promotional efforts is constantly seen and felt by the public through the taglines and positioning strategies of each company; however, Pepsi-Cola undeniably often ranked higher than its competitors because of the strong recall of its advertisements in the market. The creative and imaginative campaign of the company captured the new generation and the jingle of the products was even translated to different languages (Michman & Mazze, 1998). The company has been successful in targeting young adults through the use of celebrities, humor, sex appeal, music, and online marketing. Indeed, PepsiCo have found the perfect tools to reach its target market and persuade them to buy the products through fashion and styles, team sporting events, teen retail stores, and youth most visited sites. Moreover, the interests of the young adults have been the key of the company in capturing their attention with its music, discounts, collaterals, and club memberships. The youthful spirit has been alive for the loyal Pepsi generations not only by purchasing products but also by reliving the Pepsi generation to every individual.

1. My Own Company

My Own Company: Non-Stuff Pillows Company

            Non-Stuff Pillows Company sells big pillows in numerous designs, shapes, sizes, and colors. Non-Stuff is an understatement of “stop” because of many designs that will be released upon the introduction of the product and the constant innovation of more styles which would vary on the customers’ wants and needs. Non-Stuff Pillows Company aims to provide quality and unique products to the market and help them to sleep well after the stressful day. Moreover, the company understands that the child lies deep inside the heart and mind of every individual; therefore the company developed huggable and comfortable products. Its colorful designs would bring joy and its softness would give comfort to individuals. Made from high quality chenille and well-processed cotton, Non-Stuff would definitely make the most precious moment for the people as they go to sleep after a hard day. The absence of fur in every product would not affect the softness of Non-Stuff Pillows because its soft cover and cotton underneath the product would give the customers an illusion that they are hugging a real fur coat.

Product Type

Due to endless creation and development of pillow designs, the company would create the “stuff” that would be very important not only inside the bedroom. The pillows will come in different shapes because the designers of the products would create styles that will be suitable for the target market. The wide range of pillow styles will be offered to the customers. It will also come in different sizes because the pillows will range from 2 feet to 6 feet. Apparently, there are already various companies offering pillows to the public; however, this product will be entirely new in the market. The usual rectangular shape of the pillows will be eliminated and the stuffed-toy-like pillows will be introduced. The marketers understand that the people needs to sleep well after long hours of work; this is the reason why the company came up with a concept of making an entirely different designs and odd shapes of pillows to help the people to sleep better. The products will be a combination of stuffed toy and bedroom pillows which can give comfort and good night sleep to the customers. Unlike stuffed toys, the materials to be used in this product will be smoother and softer to avoid stiff neck or backache. Apparently, this product is better than the usual bedroom pillow because it has unique shapes and designs. It is washable but the shape could still be retained after every wash.

Customer Needs

            Apparently, the product would help the customers to sleep well which answers the physiological needs of the people (Montana et al, 2000). The need of the people for safety is also one of the goals of the company in creating this kind of product in the market. The comfort that this product would give to the customers will not only lessen their physical stress but also sense of protection and freedom from anxiety. Everyone would probably aim for a long hour of rest to start the next day with proper strength and freedom from disturbing thoughts. This is what the company would like to provide for all the customers of the Non-Stuff Pillow. Through the use of this product, the people will have an appropriate time to rest their mind and body.

            The company targets all the members of the family for this product. Although the mother oftentimes has the purchasing power, the company also focuses on the other member of the family to have positive influential perceptions toward the product (Harris, 2004). The product will be introduced to the market through the use of efficient marketing tools to easily gain the brand recognition of the customers.

Customer Types

            Non-Stuff Pillows will be available for all ages. From toddlers to adults, any person could experience the comfort that this product could bring to the users. In other words, the mass marketing will be the strategy to be used in penetrating the market (Rangkuti, 2009). The company will set a design for toddlers and another set of designs for teenagers and other clusters of the society. The target market will be male and female and included in any family size. The ages of the potential customers will range from 3 to 75 years old; however the company will set classifications wherein the designs would vary depending on the age of the customers. For example, the designs of the products for kids will be different from the styles of the products for adults. This categories will be needed to make the products suitable for the age of the users.

Geographic Area

Non-Stuff Pillows will be set in a very flexible price which can be afforded by any class in the society. In other words, the penetration strategy will be applied in pricing to easily gain revenue and brand loyalty. It will be introduced in United States but the company will strive harder to expand the business in the global market. Since the product will be introduced for every member of the family, the company will evaluate which powerful hypermarkets could distribute the products. The partnership with prominent retail stores is needed to reach the target market in the expected time.

Promotion

            Since the product is new in the market, the company will use push strategy in advertising the products to the potential customers. Push strategy will quickly create awareness among the customers because of intense advertising and promotion to the public (Mullings, 2008). The product will be endorsed through television and magazine advertisements. In this method, the company will have an opportunity to enter the home of the target markets and persuade them to purchase the product in the retail stores. Non-Stuff Company will also use intensive online marketing to reach the market at any given time. The company will focus on marketing communication channels to introduce the product and give specific details that the customers need to know regarding the neophyte product in the market.

References

Frank, T. (1997). The conquest of cool: business culture, counterculture, and the rise of hip consumerism. USA: University of Chicago Press

Haig, M. (2004). Brand Royalty: How the World’s Top 100 Brands Thrive and Survive. Great Britain: Kogan Page Publishers

Harris, A. (2004). All About the Girl: Culture, Power, and Identity. New York: Routledge

Michman, R. & Mazze, E. (1998). The Food Industry Wars: Marketing Triumphs and Blunders. USA: Greenwood Publishing Group

Montana, P. & Charnov, B. (2000). Management. New York: Barron’s Educational Series

Mullings, D. (2008). Is a Push strategy on the Web Better than a Pull Strategy? Fast Company. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/david-mullings/diary-gen-y-entrepreneur/push-strategy-web-better-pull-strategy

PepsiCo. (2009). Pepsi-Cola Brands. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from http://www.pepsico.com/Brands/Pepsi_Cola-Brands.aspx

Rangkuti, F. (2009). Understanding the Difference between Niche Marketing and Mass Marketing. Retrieved April 2, 2009 from http://www.helium.com/items/609299-understanding-the-difference-between-niche-marketing-and-mass-marketing