Pepsi gets smart – and not before half time

As my Aussie pal Malcolm Auld first pointed out to me, the largest single discharge of effluent into the U.S. sewage system coincides with the most expensive TV commercials of the year – half time at the Superbowl.

This year Pepsi is saving millions advertising on the Super Bowl to invest in a better idea – a “Refresh Everything” campaign that asks people to suggest ideas to make the world a better place, promising $20 million to fund the winning causes.

That is what I call smart. Shame about their disgusting drink, though.

About the Author

In 2003, the Chartered Institute of Marketing named Drayton one of 50 living individuals who have shaped today’s marketing.

He has worked in 55 countries with many of the world’s greatest brands. These include American Express, Audi, Bentley, British Airways, Cisco, Columbia Business School, Deutsche Post, Ford, IBM, McKinsey, Mercedes, Microsoft, Nestle, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Unilever, Visa and Volkswagen.

Drayton has helped sell everything from Airbus planes to Peppa Pig. His book, Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing, out in 17 languages, has been the UK’s best seller on the subject every year since 1982. He has also run his own businesses in the U.K., Portugal and Malaysia.

He was a main board member of the Ogilvy Group, a founding member of the Superbrands Organisation, one of the first eight Honorary Fellows of the Institute of Direct Marketing and one of the first three people named to the Hall of Fame of the Direct Marketing Association of India. He has also been given Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Caples Organisation in New York and Early To Rise in Florida.

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