Pepsi Partners with Bobby Flay, Promoting Grilling and Two Limited-Time Soda Offerings
Pepsi is positioning itself as the go-to beverage for grilling season, partnering with celebrity chef Bobby Flay, appointed as Pepsi ambassador in April for a campaign called “Grills Night Out.” The campaign’s messaging highlights Pepsi as a “superior” soft drink pairing for cookouts. With Memorial Day approaching, the brand is launching the campaign while featuring two new limited-time sodas: Pepsi Lime and Pepsi Peach. The flavors are designed to complement grilled foods and will be available nationwide throughout the summer, marking a shift from Pepsi’s previous narrower seasonal releases.
The “Grills Night Out” campaign also encourages consumers to see grilling as an everyday activity rather than reserving it for major holidays. According to Harris Poll data cited by Pepsi, 84% of respondents plan to grill more this year than they did in 2023. Pepsi’s Chief Marketing Officer Todd Kaplan says grilling isn’t just for large gatherings.
“It doesn’t always have to be a big, 30-person event. It can be just on a Tuesday,” Kaplan said.
“Grills Night Out” includes three TV commercials starring Flay, demonstrating his culinary and grilling skills, along with some dance moves, to retro pop tunes like Donna Summers’ “Hot Stuff” and “Oh, What a Night” by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. The commercials, called “Prep,” “Cook,” and “Enjoy,” depict lively backyard gatherings with people enjoying grilled meats and veggies and, of course, Pepsi. Additionally, a Spanish-language spot called “Carne Asada, Parrillada o Asado” is part of Pepsi’s attempt to engage Hispanic consumers. Flay is also featured in a social media video series sharing grilling tips.
Watch one of the fun promotional Pepsi “Grills Night Out” videos featuring Bobby Flay here:
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IvCsFdEBEU&t=21s
Uber Introduces Student Discounts and Curated Restaurant Lists
Uber announced new initiatives to enhance the customer experience for students and Uber Eats users. As part of its Go-Get 2024 Product Event, Uber is offering discounted membership for students and a new feature for Uber Eats users to share their favorite restaurants from the Uber Eats app. Uber is rolling out Uber One for Students, offering a discounted membership of $4.99 a month compared to the regular $9.99 monthly rate. Students can pay yearly at a lower rate of $48 annually. The membership includes perks like $0 delivery fees, special deals, and free items from popular chains such as Domino’s, Taco Bell, and Starbucks. The student discount is geared to attract younger consumers, fostering brand loyalty that could extend beyond their college years.
Uber Eats also launched a new feature called Lists. Users can create and share curated lists of their favorite restaurants. The feature will be initially available in New York City and Chicago starting in July and will expand to other cities later. The Lists feature enhances user engagement by enabling personalized restaurant recommendations, complementing Uber’s recent partnership with Instacart, which integrates a “restaurant” tab into the Instacart app, broadening Uber Eats’ customer base.
Uber’s delivery segment is growing, with a 17% increase in gross bookings year-over-year in the first quarter. Monthly active users and order frequency also hit record highs in top markets like the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The company continues to innovate, introducing features like Live Location Sharing to streamline deliveries.
Learn more about Uber’s Go-Get 2024 Product Event here:
https://ww.uber.com/us/en/u/go-get/
Netflix Expands Tech and Partnerships as Monthly Users Surge in Ad-Supported Plan
Netflix announced that its ad-supported plan now boasts 40 million monthly active users worldwide, a significant rise from 5 million a year ago. More than 40% of new signups in ad markets are opting for the plan. During its first in-person upfront event, Netflix unveiled new programmatic partners, including The Trade Desk, Magnite, and Google’s Display & Video 360. Additionally, Netflix plans to launch an in-house ad tech platform to enhance ad purchasing, leverage insights, and measure impact across its platform.
As connected TV measurement becomes more important for advertisers during a time of massive streaming, Netflix has expanded its measurement partners. These additions aim to verify and measure ad campaigns’ effectiveness, enabling Netflix to provide a premium ad experience.
“We’re being incredibly strategic about how we present ads because we want our members to have a phenomenal experience. We conduct deep consumer research to make sure we stay ahead of the competition, bringing opportunities that are better for members and better for brands,” said Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s President of Advertising.
On the content front, Netflix announced a lineup for 2024 that includes two NFL Christmas Day games, the return of “Squid Game,” and new series and films spanning various genres. Major releases include a sequel to “Happy Gilmore” and a new “Beverly Hills Cop” film.
Learn more about Netflix’s ad-supported plans:
https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126831
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Original Article Links:
Pepsi stakes claim as superior soft drink for grilling season with Bobby Flay
Uber adds student discount, restaurant lists in latest product rollout
Netflix plans to in-house ad tech, adds measurement partners as ad tier surges