As part of its ongoing support of Detroit, Pepsi has launched a purpose-driven community platform and creative campaign called “Full of Detroit Soul,” which marks a culmination of the brand’s 80 year-plus support for the Detroit community and a way to virtually celebrate the next class of artists influencing the city’s culture.
The campaign will showcase local artists’ work and include a virtual performance by Detroit-raised R&B artist KEM, a digital hub and limited edition packaging at retailers across Detroit next year.
Taking inspiration from Detroit’s popular mural and art scene, Pepsi tapped three local artists to create citywide murals, including Desiree Kelly, whose known for her mixture of street art and traditional oil technique, Ndubisi Okoye, whose work aims to inspire people throughout the African Diaspora and Sydney James, whose become a local leading creative change through a variety of community arts projects.
The digital hub will feature the campaign artwork and a two-minute video spot in which the local artists share what Detroit personally means to them. The spot was produced by a creative video production company based in Detroit, Woodward Original. In addition, the microsite spotlight’s Pepsi’s Detroit-based community partners, such as the Urban League of Detroit, Latin Americans for Social & Economic Development, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, SER Metro-Detroit and Detroit Branch NAACP.
Pepsi is also hosting a virtual locals-only meet-and-greet and performance by KEM, an R&B singer and producer who grew up in Detroit. Early next year, the brand will roll out limited edition packaging inspired by the campaign to Detroit retailers.
Over the last four years, Pepsi has contributed more than $1 million to Detroit through local charities as its manufacturing facility and distribution center there employs more than 400 employees.
The purpose-driven campaign is part of Pepsi’s larger plan to integrate purpose into its brands and engage Gen Z, a group that continues to shape the food and beverage industries and increasingly expect brands to act on the social issues it supports. To do so, PepsiCo has been ramping up its sustainability efforts and strengthening its first-party database through an in-house team that enables it to network media and consumer data.
In Q3, Pepsi’s e-commerce sales nearly doubled and total revenue grew 5.3 percent to $18.09 billion.