Purpose and Persistence: Todd Kaplan @ PepsiCo

Perhaps no food and drink company has reinvented itself so expertly over the years, or refined and ended its brand to be more vibrant, more culturally relevant and more inclusive as has Pepsi. Head of US Cola Marketing Todd Kaplan has been the architect of many of those bold moves and transformational ideas.

In his talk with Jesse, Todd describes his journey to becoming a steward of one of the world’s largest and most culturally connected consumer brands. He recounts his experience working with the Olympics at Visa. He tells the story of the Pepsi Max Field of Dreams project that often seemed impossible, but ultimately came to life in vivid detail for one grateful fan and an enthralled public. He reflects on launching Pepsi’s LIFEWATR and Bubly brands with core insights about the consumer. Throughout, Todd cites instances where moving with purpose and persistence helped turn audacious dreams into breakthrough brand experiences.

(4:07) Todd describes his early years in sports marketing and formative work with the Olympics

(10:02) Seizing the opportunity to make connections at Pepsi

(12:15) If you build it...(The Pepsi Max Field of Dreams project)

(16:57) Embracing and understanding the consumer’s mindset

(19:39) Branding with purpose: the ins and outs

(22:59) Launching LIFEWATR to refresh consumers and support the arts

(26:26) How to react when people say ‘no’ to an idea you believe in

Guest Bio

Todd Kaplan is the Vice President of Marketing at Pepsi where he is responsible for leading PepsiCo’s flagship brand. Since Fall 2018, Kaplan has brought a challenger mindset and culture-forward perspective that has been foundational to turning around and re-energizing the Pepsi brand. Under his leadership, the Pepsi brand has delivered twelve consecutive quarters of positive sales growth (and counting), along with significant increases in brand equity and all-time highs in creative effectiveness. Todd was recently named one of the “Top 25 Most Innovative CMO’s” in the world by Business Insider.

Helpful Links

The Drum article: Pepsi’s VP of Marketing says “start backwards” to create ads fit for modern culture

Meet the LIFEWATR Artists

With Gary Vaynerchuk: The Strategy Behind Pepsi's “Challenger” Brand Approach

Todd on LinkedIn and Twitter