After 23 years of advertising during the Super Bowl, PepsiCo is pulling its beverage ads in favor of an upcoming cause marketing program, The Wall Street Journal reported. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola is continuing with its plans to advertise during the Super Bowl, with a spot rumored to be featuring the Simpsons.
Pepsi's new cause marketing program will let consumers choose community programs to receive grant money from the beverage company, which has set aside $20 million of its ad dollars for the program. It will also focus more on PR and online advertising. The Journal reports:
"In 2010, each of our beverage brands has a strategy and marketing platform that will be less about a singular event," says Frank Cooper, senior vice president of PepsiCo Americas Beverages.
Pepsi's new tack is "not a condemnation of the Super Bowl," says its Mr. Cooper. It would be too hard to explain Pepsi's new marketing campaign in a 30-second TV spot, he adds.
