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Tag: PepsiCo

  • Ex-PepsiCo marketing director Vani Gupta joins Hypersonic

    Ex-PepsiCo marketing director Vani Gupta joins Hypersonic

    MUMBAI: Vani Gupta, PepsiCo’s former marketing director has joined Hypersonic as a founder member and will lead the consumer innovation practice. Her expertise in marketing consumer-centric innovations will drive the innovation marketing and category management for Hypersonic’s clients across industries that include FMCG, IT, media, telecom, healthcare, real estate, and e-commerce.

    On her appointment Gupta said, “I love demonstrating impactful growth through consumer thinking. Hypersonic is an ideal fit at this stage of my career as it allows me to work on multiple innovations and varied marketing challenges, that would benefit from the hands-on intervention of the Hypersonic team,” according to adageindia.in. 

    Prior to PepsiCo, she had a rewarding stint with Unilever where she led the successful launch of a hair care range for colored hair across South East Asia and South Asia. Before Unilever, Vani worked with Reckitt Benckiser, where she launched Veet in India and crafted a success model for emerging markets. 

    Hypersonic Advisory was founded in 2017, by a team of leading industry experts with 100+ years of combined experience. They work on site with their client teams, thereby strengthening a company’s own capability to scale and achieve their next level of growth. Hypersonic is unique as it commits to its solutions by linking pay-out to measurable results.

    Hypersonic Advisory co-founder Venkatesh Rangachari said, “Vani is a recognised leader in the marketing field and her creative-technical acumen will be a valuable asset to our clients. Vani has a track record of bringing innovations successfully to the market. She compliments Hypersonic’s ethos of being effective doers. We’re excited to welcome Vani to our founding team and are the stronger for it.”

    After joining PepsiCo India in 2011, she revived Kurkure and boosted the growth to double digits. Her roles in the two decades has been managing cross-cultural teams, complex brand, and product launches, and developing innovation mixes for different markets.

  • Zomato appoints Mohit Gupta as CEO of food delivery

    Zomato appoints Mohit Gupta as CEO of food delivery

    MUMBAI: Restaurants Discovery and Online food ordering app, Zomato, yesterday appointed Mohit Gupta as CEO for its food delivery business.

    Zomato has been working on strengthening its leadership team and aims at a long-term vision of “better food for more people”. The company is also experimenting with products that solve for affordability, accessibility, assortment and quality of food for the users, within India as well as globally.

    “We’re thrilled to have Mohit join our team – he is one of the few internet industry veterans who has helped build a formidable transactions business in India. He’s a widely respected leader, and we’re excited to learn from him, and further build our rapidly growing food delivery business with him,” said Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal as quoted by DNA.

    Gupta, who has about 20 years of experience joined MakeMyTrip in 2008 and worked in several senior positions in the company. As the chief operating officer he was responsible for the business delivery, growth and profitability of the entire online business for Makemytrip India. In between, he also worked with e-commerce website like Zovi.com for one year. Before joining Zovi.com, he worked with PepsiCo for about seven years where he last served as vice president marketing.

    He holds an MBA degree from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and has studied mechanical engineering from Sardar Patel University.

    Also Read :

    Zomato and PayTM feature in Interbrands’ ‘Breakthrough Brands’ report

    “Zomato adds value to users and restaurant owners alike:” Pankaj Chaddah

  • Apple appoints first marketing director for India

    Apple appoints first marketing director for India

    MUMBAI: Global technology giant, Apple has appointed Poonam Kaul as the director for marketing for India. She will be the first person to lead Apple in India, as it is a new role the company has created in India.

    She is said to join Apple in the next few weeks.

    At Apple, Kaul will be responsible for product marketing, advertising and communications.

    She is currently serving her notice period at Pepsico India as the company’s  vice president for communications and CSR. Kaul also worked with leading mobile company, Nokia India as director for communications IMEA  between 2012-2015 before the company was sold to Microsoft.

    An official statement from PepsiCo AMENA vice president for communications Krista Pilot read, “We are sad to see Poonam leave PepsiCo India, as she has been a terrific leader who has driven brand and corporate communications to positive results during her tenure. We wish her the best in her new role, and know she will be a lifelong fan of PepsiCo and our brand.”

  • PepsiCo acquires Bare Foods for $200M in a bid to provide healthy products

    PepsiCo acquires Bare Foods for $200M in a bid to provide healthy products

    MUMBAI: A global snack brand started by an Indian, Bare Foods has been acquired by American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation, PepsiCo. 

    PesiCo has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the US snack company that is primarily into baked fruits and vegetable snacks. The transaction will expand the company’s snacking portfolio and further deliver on its vision to offer consumers more positive nutrition options.

    PepsiCo chairman and chief executive officer Indra Nooyi says, “For nearly a dozen years, PepsiCo has been committed to our vision of making more nutritious products, while also reducing added sugars, salt, and saturated fat. Bare Snacks fits perfectly within that vision.”

    Although both the companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, but it is learnt that Pepsi will pay less than $200 million for the snack company.

    She adds, ”The Bare Snacks leadership team has done an outstanding job building a top-tier organisation and a strong brand with authentic roots, and I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Bare Snacks to the PepsiCo family.”

    Bare Snacks was founded in 2001 by a family owned organic apple farm in Washington, that began selling packaged baked apple chips in local farmers’ markets. Under its current leadership team, it has expanded steadily to become the leader in apple, banana and coconut snacks.

    It has recently expanded into vegetable chips and offers the industry’s broadest assortment of baked crunchy fruit and vegetable chips (apple chips, banana chips, coconut chips, and new beet chips, carrot chips, and sweet potato chips). Bare products are made from simple ingredients that are baked, not fried.  They are non GMO project verified, feature clean labels and are sold online and in natural and conventional retail channels across the US.

    Bare Foods CEO Santosh Padki is thrilled to work with the PepsiCo team to further its mission of bringing simplicity to snacking. “With a shared passion for crunchy, better-for-you snacks, PepsiCo is the right partner to help bring our simply baked fruit and vegetable  snacks to even more consumers across the world and continue to grow our brand,” he adds. 

    Upon closing, Bare Snacks will continue to operate independently from its headquarters in San Francisco with its leadership reporting into Frito-Lay North America, a division of PepsiCo.

    Frito-Lay North America president and chief operating officer Vivek Sankaran thinks that Bare premium baked fruit and vegetable chips are an exciting expansion of Frito-Lay’s better-for-you snack offerings. 

    PepsiCo will continue to offer the current Bare Snacks product line  while also working with the Bare Snacks team to deliver new, innovative options, and ultimately expanded distribution.

    PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2017, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

  • 7UP launches limited edition throwback bottles

    7UP launches limited edition throwback bottles

    MUMBAI: Remember those good old days when rock-and-roll ruled the charts? When rotary phones were a fixture in every home? #Throwback is not just a hashtag but a reminder of the past; of times when cool had a different definition; when creative expression, retro designs, ‘flower power’ ruled the roost, and when Fido Dido was the man of the moment.

    This summer, beverage brand 7Up is all set to take consumers on a trip down memory lane with its new campaign, 7Up Back to Cool. The lemon flavour presents consumers with a blast from the past, with the launch of six vintage deigns.

    The limited-edition packaging is celebrating the spirit and soul of six different decades in history, starting from the 1950s and running through the 2000s.

    Printed on the bottles, the 1950s slogan screams out ‘Sure Is Swell’, a popular slang of the decade; while the ‘Far Out Flavour’ slogan captures the essence of the 1960s. The 1970s are depicted through the ‘Get Down, 7UP’ slogan and ‘Clearly The Uncola’ takes centre stage on the bottle label inspired by the 1980s.The 1990s bottle sees ‘King of Cool’ Fido Dido take a break while lying in his hammock. Rounding off the pack of six is the 2000s’ ‘Timeless Taste’ bottle slogan, which exemplifies how the clear drink has remained a favourite over the decades.

    The 7Up Vintage packaging is brought alive on screen through a TVC, conceptualised by creative agency BBDO, which shows the evolution of the different designs.

    PepsiCo India associate director of flavours marketing Gaurav Verma says, “7Up is a brand which is inherently cool and has retained its personality through the decades. Through the limited edition 7Up Vintage packaging, we have once again taken a unique and ‘cool’ approach to connect with today’s generation. In the age of throwbacks and selfies, the 7Up Vintage bottles are the perfect representation of our Shelf to Media strategy and we are confident the new, limited edition packaging will truly make 7Up stand out on retail shelves.”

    Excited about the launch, BBDO India chairman and chief creative officer Josy Paul adds, “These are collector’s items. Fido is the original daddy of cool! It’s so awesome that you want to own every one of these global vintage packs. And you want others to enjoy them to. How do you do that? With the 7UP Back to Cool promo offer! Now everyone has a chance to go back in time with a bottle of 7 Up! Nostalgia is cool!”

    7Up has rolled out a 360-degree marketing plan with the launch of the TVC which will be supported by massive outdoor and digital surround. The edgy new PET bottles will be available to consumers across all modern and traditional outlets across the country.

    The brand is also introducing limited-edition design merchandise, including bluetooth speakers, headphones, t-shirts and hoodies, notebooks, sippers and funky slap-bands inspired by the new packaging. Consumers will get a chance to win these merchandise through promo packs on select bottles only in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and West Bengal.

  • Vice India raring to break into a sprint

    Vice India raring to break into a sprint

    MUMBAI: Vice India is betting big on its creative agency Virtue Worldwide, which has helped provide solutions to brands in several markets.  Among the brands under its banner are ABInBev, Samsung, Uber, Airbnb and Google.

    Now, the agency within the Shane Smith, Suroosh Alvi-founded outfit is rolling out its suite of brand solutions in India.  Among the first partnerships, it has announced, is the one with PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew.

    The collaboration will see the Vice crew follow and explore the journey of a real-life hero Arjun Vajpai as he attempts to climb Mt Kangchenjunga – one of the most difficult summits to conquer.

    “We are excited to be the first to work with Vice India, that aims to be the vehicle and voice for the Indian youth. This partnership represents the convergence of two brands coming together to tell an inspiring story of courage to millions of young consumers across the country,” says Pepsico India associate director –Mountain Dew Naseeb Puri.

    Adds Vice India chief executive officer Chanpreet Arora:  “We are happy partnering with PepsiCo on one of our first content pieces in India so that the stories we want to tell reach out to the country with the help of one of India’s biggest and most recognisable brands.”

    Arora, along with head of content Samira Kanwar, has been working on roping in more than 40 young journalists, editors, producers and creatives in India to focus on content production, editorial, creative services and content distribution. The focus, according to a Vice India release has been to put in place “a local, young and experienced leadership team, deeply embedded in the culture of India.”

    She hopes that other brands will sign on with Vice India, which is being positioned as a full-scale media company with content at its centre and a multi-platform distribution plan – producing scripted, film, news and culture content from India for television, SVOD, OTT and digital platforms. The launch date is planned for April, and the teams in both the cities have been working at a frenetic pace to get things up and running by D-Day.

    Points out the Delhi-based Arora: “We are committed to building a company that speaks to a generation that is defining today’s cultural conversation in India and that is based on values of empathy, equality and inclusion. All our decisions, including choice of partners, must reflect this core belief.”

    Vice India’s planned local content will span conversations across topics like food, music, sex, identity, nightlife, arts, politics, literature, and comedy, showcasing the realities and diverse aspects of India without conforming to the boundaries set by multiple languages or cultures.

    Reveals the Mumbai-based Kanwar who is spearheading all the content offerings that Vice will dish out: “Content sits at the centre of everything we do. We hope to create content and experiences that matter to India’s youth irrespective of the language or regions we come from. Vice India will be a platform for young people to speak up, be heard and also feel at home about their own identities and ideas.”

    Adds Vice CEO Asia Pacific Hosi Simon: “Vice India’s goal is to be deeply locally relevant for youth across all parts and cultures of India. We are very thankful for our partnership with The Times of India, led by Times Bridge. Together, we have architected as ambitious a launch as Vice has put together anywhere in the world.”

    The Times Group investment arm Times Bridge CEO Rishi Jaitly, highlights that Vice India is poised to delight millennial and GenZ audiences across the country from day one. Says he: “The stories and experiences produced by Vice India will engage youth culture here in a manner not previously seen. We’re proud of our team and look forward to a breakthrough 2018.”

    For Vice globally, one of the big changes that happened earlier this month was the elevation of Shane Smith as executive chairman from CEO and the stepping in of former A+E Networks CEO Nancy Dubuc as his replacement. A&E was one of the earliest investors in Smith’s vision for Vice.  Smith was kicked upstairs to focus on content creation and forging strategic deals and partnerships to grow the company. 

    Also Read :

    Chanpreet Arora appointed CEO of Vice Media India

    Vice Media to launch Vice India on April 2

    Vice Media to build largest OTT platform, expand to 80 markets by early ’18

  • Gatorade gets PV Sindhu to say ‘never give up’

    Gatorade gets PV Sindhu to say ‘never give up’

    MUMBAI: PepsiCo India’s sports drink brand, Gatorade, has released a new TVC film featuring ace shuttler and olympian PV Sindhu.

    Sindhu highlights its commitment to keep top athletes across the world rehydrated, replenished and refuelled for better performance. Alongside her, the film also features international football superstar Lionel Messi and basketball player Karl Anthony Towns.

    The film is a reflection on Gatorade enabling athletes achieve more by providing the right balance of nutrients inclusive of carbohydrates, minerals and electrolytes. The film rolls out in a format of a video game, depicting the choices a player has i.e. To Give Up – Yes or No? There is no question of giving up with Gatorade which helps refuel athletes, pushing them to train harder and perform better.

    In line with Gatorade’s campaign to ‘Sweat More’, Sindhu, who was taken on board as the brand ambassador last year, has successfully completed her sweat test at the Baltimore facility of Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

  • ICC’s appointment of Indra Nooyi raises eyebrows

    ICC’s appointment of Indra Nooyi raises eyebrows

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi as its first independent female director. Her appointment is likely to cause some ripples given that PepsiCo has tied up with the ICC for a multi-year global partner deal.

    PepsiCo and ICC’s deal lasts till 2023 while Nooyi’s term with the ICC is for two years and can be extended twice, taking it to a maximum of six consecutive years of service. Her appointment is likely to run concurrently with the council’s partnership with the global FMCG behemoth thereby raising the question of conflict of interest.

    An ICC release stated that she was selected after due diligence from both the Independent Ethics Officer of the ICC and PepsiCo’s general council. There will be a clear framework for managing any potential or perceived conflicts of interest that may develop in the future.

    The introduction of a female independent director was approved by the ICC in June 2017 as part of a wide-ranging constitutional change aimed at improving the governance of the sport. Nooyi will join the board in June 2018 to align with the term of the ICC independent chairman following the unanimous confirmation of her appointment at a meeting held on Friday, an ICC release said.

    ICC chairman Shashank Manohar said, “Adding another independent director—particularly a female—is such an important step forward in improving our governance. To have someone of Indra’s calibre is fantastic news for the global game. We undertook a global search looking for the right candidate who would complement the existing skills and experience already on our board. A cricket enthusiast with experience in the commercial sector and independent of the ICC, any member or state or associated organisation were the primary criteria and in Indra we have found an exceptional new colleague and we look forward to working with her in the future.”

    Expressing delight at her appointment, Nooyi said, “I love the game of cricket. I played it as a teenager and in college, and to this day, I cherish the lessons the game taught me about teamwork, integrity, respect, and healthy competition. I am thrilled to join ICC as the first person to be appointed to this role. And I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board, ICC’s incredible partners, and cricketers around the world to grow our sport responsibly and give our fans a new reason to follow every ball and shot.”

    At PepsiCo, Nooyi is responsible for a global food and beverage portfolio that includes 22 brands generating more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales, including Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola.

    Also Read:

    SPN India acquires TV, OTT rights for T10 Cricket League

    Star ushers in IPL’s new era with a bang

    Star India gets IPL to change match timings for 11th edition

  • Mirinda says release the pressure

    Mirinda says release the pressure

    MUMBAI: In 2017, Mirinda, the orange flavoured sparkling drink from PepsiCo gave the country’s youth a voice and told the story of exam pressure they go through because of parents. This year, with the second edition of its ‘Release The Pressure’ campaign, the brand is making this voice louder and bringing to the forefront the issue of constant comparison by parents.

    Mirinda ignites conversations around the issue through a moving short film, created by award-winning director Shoojit Sircar. Inspired by focused group discussions conducted across the country with students, the film hopes to be a mirror for society and aims to bring attention to students’ distress. It features real teenagers and focuses on the issues of parental pressure, and what happens when parents constantly compare their kids to peers, neighbours and siblings. Shoojit Sircar also directed the digital film for the first edition of the brand’s international award-winning campaign.

    PepsiCo India senior vice president, beverage category Vipul Prakash believes that the latest campaign stems from an insight that homes turn into pressure zones as exam season approaches. Parents have good intentions at heart but sometimes their motivation methods end up being stressful for their kids. “Continuing the momentum of the first edition of the campaign, our goal this year is to help people understand and acknowledge that constant comparison is detrimental to a student’s performance,” he says.

    The powerful film, conceptualised by creative agency BBDO, aims to make parents realise how situations of constant comparison can lead to lower self-esteem amongst teenagers.

    As a popular national brand, Mirinda stands committed to its teenage audience and their interests. In the latest campaign, the agency has built on last year’s brand idea ‘Release The Pressure’ by decoding the actions that add pressure in the teenager’s life. BBDO India chairman and chief creative officer Josy Paul mentions that one big action or pressure point is the constant comparison that parents use to push their children. The campaign focuses on this unhealthy behaviour of constant comparison — that is known to lead to depression in children. The campaign encourages parents to discuss constructive ways to support their children, especially during exam time.

    Director of the film, Shoojit Sircar says, “Stress, pressure, tension are unfortunately words which have become a part of the daily vocabulary of teenagers across India. There is undue pressure on students and as a society, we need to wake up and take responsibility. The next generation of world leaders will emerge only when we are able to give them space to grow, learn well and flourish without putting any undue pressure on them.”

    Mirinda will also roll out a 360-degree plan starting with the ‘Release the Pressure’ digital film, followed by on-ground activations and a robust radio and print campaign. Over the next few months, the brand will invite people to pledge to ‘Release the Pressure’ through a series of online and offline partnerships.

  • IPL ’18 media rights decision likely in July, player recruitment norms to be tweaked

    NEW DELHI: Even as the Indian cricket board BCCI explores tweaks in new player recruitment norms by franchisees for the next edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2018, decisions on media rights is likely to be taken by next month and the title sponsorship to be decided by month-end.

    This was stated by IPL commissioner Rajeev Shukla yesterday during the India-Bangladesh semi-final match in England where the Champions Trophy is under way.

    According to Shukla, who was in conversation with commentators of All-India Radio (AIR) during the India-Bangladesh cricket match, the media rights would be hawked in a bundled form as well as separately. The media rights for IPL include those for TV, online, digital and overseas (outside Indian geographical region).

    Chinese phone maker Vivo, wanting to make a splash in the Indian market and establish a presence, had picked up the title sponsorship for IPL for two years in 2015. Earlier, such sponsors included Indian real estate company DLF, and PepsiCo. The latter had opted out of sponsorship after betting and match-fixing scandals rocked IPL a few years ago.

    A 2016 news report in the Mint newspaper stated that, for the Indian sub-continent, BCCI will award the television rights for 10 years and digital media rights for five years. The competitive bidding process would close on 25 October 2016.

    At present, IPL’s TV broadcast rights are held by Sony Pictures Networks Pvt. Ltd, which will expire in 2017, and the Internet and mobile rights rest with Novi Digital Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, a unit of Star India, for a period of three years till 2017.

    As to whether IPL is contemplating increasing the number of participating teams from the present eight, Shukla replied in the negative. This would mean that the teams from Gujarat and Pune would have to bow out in 2018 as controversy-tainted Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings are likely to stage a comeback after a two-year suspension.

    Shukla also said during the conversation on AIR that BCCI and IPL are contemplating making changes in various criteria to pick and buy cricketers by various franchisee owners from next year.

    The senior BCCI official elaborated that “some restrictions” would be placed on IPL team owners to desist them from picking a rookie player without any experience of BCCI-supported domestic cricket tourneys as it amounted to discrimination of deserving players who have played in Indian domestic cricket tournaments (Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Irani Trophy, etc).

    About the reason behind BCCI agreeing to participate in Champions Trophy (where India would sometime have to play Pakistan, a country regarded back home as abetting and encouraging terrorism against India), Shukla smartly skirted answering directly, preferring to say that BCCI agreed on participation in CT 2017 as it wanted the national team to retain the trophy.

    India is the current holder of the Champions Trophy and the next edition of the tournament would be held in India.

    Shukla, while admitting that India has become a nerve-centre for global cricket contributing sizably to the revenue kitty of cricket’s international governing body ICC, stated that all outstanding financial issues related to revenue sharing would be sorted out soon and amicably between ICC and BCCI.