Michael Smith is the Vice President of Flavored CSD Marketing at PepsiCo, overseeing the marketing for STARRY, bubly, and Mug. He has played a crucial role in developing the brand positioning and strategy for STARRY, which became our client earlier this year.

With nearly 13 years at PepsiCo, Michael is a true visionary in the beverage industry, continually introducing consumers to new sodas. He joined us at our beach takeover in Cannes to discuss his career journey and the impact of influencer marketing on the STARRY brand.

Building a brand with Influencer Marketing

Now that we’re working with PepsiCo on influencer campaigns across their Pepsi and STARRY brands, we asked Simon when Influencer Marketing first came to his attention, and how he knew it could work for PepsiCo. 

Michael admits that PepsiCo was a late bloomer in the Influencer Marketing space, and it was the rise of TikTok that started the ball rolling. The introduction of TikTok saw social media change to a place where a large number of followers wasn’t the key to success, instead, the best creative can win, and the best creative comes from content creators! PepsiCo brands now see influencers as a vital part of their brand growth. 

In this episode of Visionary Voices, Michael also shared… 

✨ How coming from an agency background is beneficial in the role of a brand marketer 

✨ The story behind PepsiCo’s decision to invest in Influencer Marketing, thanks to TikTok

✨ The challenges of developing a new brand in a saturated market filled with legacy competitors