“Make it Poppi”

Worlds away from the industry that I currently work within, the prebiotic soda brand Poppi has found its way onto my TV screen, social media feeds, and who knows, maybe even into my fridge soon if they keep "popping" up. Being hard to miss and forgot, Poppi has done an excellent job of capturing the Gen Z audience with their converged ecosystem that encapsulates their campaigns. A recent honorable mention is their 2026, "Make it Poppi" / "Vibes" Super Bowl campaign, https://www.instagram.com/reels/DUhdBniERHO/. 

Through a highly calculated multi-channel media mix, they managed to take their paid media Super Bowl ad and its party aesthetic and translate into a shift of their brands entire social identity across their owned channels, TikTok and Instagram. The hyper-stylized look and "vibe" was inspired by (ad star) Charli xcx and her mockumentary "The Moment," keeping the narrative consistent across digital channels, while capitalizing off of the cultural moment itself. This got Gen Z talking...

Through shared media, Poppi leveraged Charli's and (ad star) Rachel Sennott's followers to prompt organic conversation, bubbling up to meme creations that doubled as earned media. But what seemed like fun and games, was a highly strategic move by the now parent company, PepsiCo, to drive massive retail growth for Poppi, with their new slogan and CTA, "Make it Poppi." 

This left various generations confused and rating the ad poorly due to its pacing and minimal product information, while undeniably keeping Gen Z locked-in on the ad stars and, you guessed it, Poppi. 

Take that brat summer!