Well if this does not indicate a major shift from traditional media to new media, I don't know what is!
Pepsi has been advertising during the Super Bowl for 23 straight years! That takes us back to 1985, when they ran the Michael J. Fox photocopier spot.
Word came in yesterday that Pepsi has decided to ditch the Super Bowl and instead launch a $20 million social initiative staring on January 13, 2010 asking users to submit ways re-invigorate their communities in a campaign called "The Pepsi Refresh Project."
This is a major shot across the bow of dinosaur marketers who do not understand or are unwilling to understand the power of social media. But the dinosaur has always been a lost cause anyway. The people who should really take notice are the "fakers." Those who think they are adopting social media but really don't understand it, so they give their marketing dollars to an agency with a good looking creative director and a bunch of empty social media case studies with fancy big brand logos in their portfolio, but nothing to speak of their successes.
Companies should be taking this very seriously, and the Pepsi decision is high profile enough to scare a lot of people straight.
This is a huge blow to traditionalists!
Think about it. The Super Bowl is THE icon for television advertising, and Pepsi is an iconic advertiser. They say F@@# to the Super Bowl and put all their money in social media. Makes you wonder where that leaves newspapers and magazines. Another big nail in the coffin.
Posted by: Ashif | 12/25/2009 at 08:50 AM