Pepsi Brand Review

Pepsi Brand Review

Pepsi is a wonderful brand to study because I used to be an addictive Pepsi drinker.  I had to be set free from that hold that Pepsi had on me. Many people suffer from this addiction to either Coke or Pepsi! But none the less, my overall evaluation of Pepsi’s marketing mix is that it has been a successful one.  The Pepsi drink itself is a product that has a huge consuming market.  There are so many people that enjoy drinking a cold Pepsi.  In my case when I was drinking Pepsi, to me, it didn’t have a nasty after taste like Coke did.  It was not too strong of a drink but it was just right.  I know some people that are devout Coke drinkers and you can’t give them a free can of Pepsi just like you can’t give me a free can of Coke.  But many of them say that Pepsi is too sweet for them.  The Pepsi drink is a premium drink and it’s just that good to where it keeps the customers coming back.  Not only is the product good but the price plays a major role in this whole mix.

I think the market for Pepsi is an elastic market, even though people love it. If the price rises to high people you have some people that will switch to Coke or some other brand of cola. Pepsi ranges in price anywhere from 89 cents to $1.59 for a 2 liter bottle.  Pepsi price at this point is comparable with its competitors. The fact that Pepsi keeps it price for 2 liter bottles most of the time to $1.69 that makes the people purchase it more. But most of the time you can find Pepsi somewhere on sale for 99 cents.  Pepsi is sold wherever liquid consumable products are sold.  The distribution system that Pepsi has in place is actually working for them.  Pepsi has an intensive distribution system. Pepsi is everywhere. You will find it in grocery stores, drug stores, office buildings, schools, churches, gas stations, etc. Pepsi competition is anything else that a person can drink.  Pepsi has to compete against the healthier drinks.

They say that soft drinks are not healthy for you so water and fruit juice will be the choice of those healthy eaters. And for those people that like to work out they would prefer some type of sport drink such as Gatorade or Powerade.  According to Pepsico website, Pepsi distribution system issue is that their company must understand the importance of an efficient distribution and logistics management system. By having that sufficient system it will allow them to reduce cost and create value to the customers.  This is a product that anyone can drink, but I think Pepsi mainly promote this product to the younger crowd more so than the older generation. I remember Pepsi Generation X commercials. I think that the Pepsi commercials are still pushing towards the younger crowds. I also believe that this is a good marketing strategy.  Coca Cola has been around forever, and the older generation is known to stick to what they know and like. Brand loyalty is what has hindered Pepsi from stealing these potential customers.  Pepsi realized that some people are just loyal to what they like, so they are marketing to the younger crowd. This will enable them to outgrow Coca Cola in the future. Once the younger crowd becomes the older crowd, then Pepsi will be the front runner and now have brand loyalty from its customers.  So overall I think that Pepsi is doing a pretty good job selling its products.  Based on my examination of Pepsi marketing mix, Pepsi has done a good job of meeting the needs of its customers.  As I stated earlier, the product is preferred among a great percentage of people that drink soft drinks, the price is comparable to other soft drinks, and anyone can find the Pepsi soft drink anywhere.  As stated earlier, I believe that Pepsi targeted audience is the Generation X, from ages 16 – 35.

One thing that I would change in regards to trying to reach that older generation that are devout Coke drinkers is my content in my TV commercials and radio announcements.  Most of the commercials that I see and hear from Pepsi are that their spokesperson is relatively a person in that age bracket that I mention earlier.  I think if they are trying to reach an older group of people they should have an older person be the spokesperson.  They should have things like how drinking Pepsi doesn’t affect my health or they should say something like “every now and then I need a cold Pepsi to satisfy my thirst” or show senior sitting at a bingo table with a can of Pepsi next to them.  I think that these subliminal messages will allow them to gain more of that older generation.  Now Pepsi already has a snack line under the brand name of Frito Lay and that’s mainly marketed toward the little kids, teenagers, and young adults.  I would try to implement some type of healthy snack food line. It would include foods like great tasting rice cakes, low calorie popcorn, snacks, and chips, low fat meal replacement bars, etc.  I think that if Pepsi can’t get the older crowd to purchase their soft drink then go ahead and offer them something else that they may have more of an interest in.

If Pepsi were to add this line I would suggest that they put all of these healthy snacks in individual servings.  Most of the time people are on the go and they can just throw a pack in their purse or bag.  Pepsi soft drinks and snack are widely distributed as far as I know, all across America and they have a huge share of the market.  At this point I can’t see where too many more changes are needed to make Pepsi an even more popular brand.