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Pepsi: Breathtaking Design Strategy (2008) [pdf]

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Re: Pepsi: Breathtaking Design Strategy (2008) [pdf]

#41

despite how silly this may seem to many in the HN audience, I will contend that: if you were running a multi-billion dollar sugar water company whose main moat is the brand, and spent hundreds of millions on ads each year as one of the key line items in the budget, you too would want this level of sophistication and thought put into a brand refresh. Probably even more. And you can imagine that this document was debat…

Something tells me the HN crowd wouldn't be looking to invest in whether the "Pepsi Energy Fields" are "symmetrical" and "in balance."

I agree though that the HN crowd as a CEO would want lots of effort to study how to make the most recognizable and liked brand.

Re: Pepsi: Breathtaking Design Strategy (2008) [pdf]

#44

despite how silly this may seem to many in the HN audience, I will contend that: if you were running a multi-billion dollar sugar water company whose main moat is the brand, and spent hundreds of millions on ads each year as one of the key line items in the budget, you too would want this level of sophistication and thought put into a brand refresh. Probably even more. And you can imagine that this document was debat…

If I dump ten pounds of Lego on your desk, that’s not sophistication.

Depends on how much you charge.

Re: Pepsi: Breathtaking Design Strategy (2008) [pdf]

#45
PepsiCo Inc (PEP, Nasdaq) isn't merely a beverage company - as explained in this strategy document - it is a space company. The Pepsi Universe, with respect to its 8 light year characteristic length, reflects the scale of the total addressable market (TAM) that PepsiCo can expand into.

Noted short-seller and equity valuation skeptic Jim Chanos once described the TAM of space companies as infinite, because space itself is infinite. This pessimistic take anchors our low-end fair value estimate of PEP to $infinity / share. Since PEP currently trades at around $170 / share, we believe there is considerable upside to the long term buy and hold investor.

Re: Pepsi: Breathtaking Design Strategy (2008) [pdf]

#46

despite how silly this may seem to many in the HN audience, I will contend that: if you were running a multi-billion dollar sugar water company whose main moat is the brand, and spent hundreds of millions on ads each year as one of the key line items in the budget, you too would want this level of sophistication and thought put into a brand refresh. Probably even more. And you can imagine that this document was debat…

I agree that brand and marketing is of paramount importance here. But to say this is sophisticated and well-thought is a stretch. It's funny precisely for its lack of sophistication, for how many millions of dollars and countless hours were spent creating something that lacks real value, that's crafted together with the well-meaning exuberance of a teenager trying to look "deep" or earn brownie points.

Re: Pepsi: Breathtaking Design Strategy (2008) [pdf]

#47

despite how silly this may seem to many in the HN audience, I will contend that: if you were running a multi-billion dollar sugar water company whose main moat is the brand, and spent hundreds of millions on ads each year as one of the key line items in the budget, you too would want this level of sophistication and thought put into a brand refresh. Probably even more. And you can imagine that this document was debat…

they lost me at pepsi universe

So they had you right up to the end!

It’s interesting to contrast this with the same company that had the awareness to recognize that basically no one ever types out “Mountain Dew” in its entirety and adopted the _de facto_ name it had acquired in the new millennium: mtn dew.

Re: Pepsi: Breathtaking Design Strategy (2008) [pdf]

#49

despite how silly this may seem to many in the HN audience, I will contend that: if you were running a multi-billion dollar sugar water company whose main moat is the brand, and spent hundreds of millions on ads each year as one of the key line items in the budget, you too would want this level of sophistication and thought put into a brand refresh. Probably even more. And you can imagine that this document was debat…

LOL, this is not "sophistication", this is bullshit.

A million(s?) dollar study for a global brand is justified by things like:

  * Research to see if the brand logos/names are misunderstood or offensive for a particular market/culture.

  * Research regarding brand recognition before/after the proposed changes.

  * A lot of design/thought behind how the brand will look in the many communication channels/products that it owns.
There's nothing even close to that in this document. Actually, the first time I saw it posted I thought it was a joke from some internet troll, but no, it turned out to be the real thing.
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