Our Side Of The Screen: The Pepsi Refresh Project

Today’s Youth Advisory Board post marks the return of the slightly revamped YAB feature Our Side Of The Screen. Below Amber Gibson weighs in on The Pepsi Refresh project, a social media campaign where visitors can submit ideas for ways to refresh their communities. An initiative gaining less attention for its crowdsourcing component than, as you’ve probably heard by now, adopting the brand’s would-be Super Bowl ad budget. Smart move or stunt? I’ll let Amber take it from here. Remember, you can communicate directly with any member of the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board by emailing them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com…or just leave a comment.

Our Side Of The Screen: The Pepsi Refresh Project

What it is: The Pepsi Refresh Project, Pepsi’s charitable social media marketing campaign, launched Monday. Pepsi is redirecting the $20 million it would have spent on Super Bowl advertising to award grants to non-profits in communities across America. The brand is counting on social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter to make this a success, along with huge advertising pushes in both broadcast and print publications. It’s a huge gamble. However, Pepsi is confident that Refresh will transcend advertising to become an integral part of social conversation.

Where do you [the consumer] come in?: Anyone can submit a grant idea online and everyone is welcome to vote. Categories include health, arts & culture, food & shelter, the planet, neighborhoods, and education. Applications are divided into funding categories of $5,000, $25,000, $50,000 and $250,000. Finalists for the first round will be announced March 1st. Pepsi plans to fund thousands of projects over the course of the year.

What works: The Web site looks snazzy and appeals to female high school and college students, one of Pepsi’s target demographics. As a college student, I can think of many student groups at Northwestern University who have great ideas and could definitely use the funds available. Submitting an application is a simple enough process, with the opportunity to upload photos, present an overview of your project, and explain how the money will be used. Then it’s just a matter of tweeting and updating your Facebook status to encourage friends and acquaintances to vote for your idea.

Challenges: Even if many people submit ideas, there are over 700 ideas currently in the running, I don’t know if this will really translate into more revenue for Pepsi. Coca-Cola’s MyCokeRewards program, which has a points system that directly rewards consumers for buying Coke products, seems like a better bet for increasing sales. There is no obligation to buy Pepsi products to submit an idea or win a grant. Pepsi Refresh may bolster Pepsi’s reputation, but it is not going to convert those who avoid soft drinks into Pepsi drinkers.

The final verdict: I have never been a Pepsi drinker and I feel lukewarm at best about the brand, even with the Refresh program. Although funding charitable causes is noble, it feels contrived. Pepsi is merely jumping on the cause-marketing bandwagon, following Chase Community Giving and Target’s Bullseye Gives. If Pepsi is able to truly make a lasting impact on local levels, Pepsi Refresh will do wonders in winning loyalty from soft-drink consumers. But that is a big “if.” If any problems arise with allocation of funds or accountability in the spending of these funds, Pepsi will find itself in a sticky situation. The scope of this project is so great that Pepsi needs a very strong infrastructure in place to ensure everything runs smoothly.

I am a staunch supporter of social awareness and reaching out directly to communities. I hope Refresh is able to achieve its goal of making a difference on a national level. I’m just not sure this is a smart financial move for Pepsi, to invest so much time and effort in a project to create a socially-conscious Pepsi.

About Amber

World traveller, model, librarian, foodie, yogi and Northwestern journalism student are just a few of Amber’s many hats. Nevertheless, her favorite hat is still her big floppy straw hat that protects her from getting skin cancer. When she is not eating dark chocolate and watching figure-skating, Amber does love reading and writing and imagining that she is in far more exciting places than she really is.

For more coverage of youth marketing, go to the Ypulse Youth Marketing Channel sponsored by Youth Marketing Connection.