Pepsi CMO: 'Spray and Pray' Marketing is Over

When it comes to launching new products, Mark Kirkham, CMO of PepsiCo Beverages US, says the company is taking a more data-led approach than it did in the past. 

Speaking at the POSSIBLE 2026 conference, Mark said the company has abandoned “spray and pray,” marketing – broadcasting generic messages to the widest audience possible – and is instead taking a more considered approach to understand consumer needs and behaviour when launching its Prebiotic Cola.

“It used to be easy to just run a big TV ad and people came buying it,” Mark told attendees. “Now when you think of omnichannel environments, you think about unique product benefits. You have to have different messaging.”

Launching Prebiotic Cola

Pepsi initially announced Prebiotic Cola in July 2025, designed to meet changing consumer preferences towards more functional ingredients. 

“Our portfolio has always adapted to the needs and flavour preferences of the consumer,” said Ram Krishnan, CEO of PepsiCo Beverages US. “Pepsi Prebiotic Cola represents the next leap forward in giving consumers choice, optionality and functional ingredients in their cola experience, without sacrificing the iconic Pepsi taste we're known for delivering.”

Before officially launching Prebiotic Cola across the US, however, Pepsi had a limited-time, Black Friday sale – available online through Amazon, Walmart and TikTok. According to Mark, this was done to create initial demand for the product and gather more data around consumer response. 

From this, Mark said that Pepsi was able to learn what messaging worked for specific target audiences – with some preferring the messaging around prebiotic benefits, while others were more engaged by a product that led with the messaging that it tasted like Pepsi. 

“The learning we got in just that one weekend fundamentally allowed us to shift messaging, shift targeting, shift price pack architecture thinking, allowing us to sell it back to [Walmart] and to other retailers on the learnings that we took from that,” he said. “And that is modern-day marketing. The idea of spray and pray doesn’t work anymore.”

Overhauling Pepsi’s go-to-market strategy

Alongside the launch of prebiotic soda, Pepsi is overhauling its global go-to-market strategy, as customers place more priority on health and wellness products. 

In a 2025 earnings report, the company outlined several of these initiatives, including reworking price pack architecture capabilities, in order to offer consumers better portion control and more accessible price points. 

“Right-sizing our entire cost base is a priority,” Ramon Laguarta, CEO of Pepsi, said in earnings conversations. “Significant productivity measures are in place for the current environment and will provide the fuel needed to invest in disciplined commercial activities that aim to accelerate growth.”

Being more flexible when launching products, Mark says, is crucial, as it allows marketing teams to pivot on their strategy and remain agile. 

“The only way you’re going to be successful is to be flexible,” he said. “Flexible on how your media plan, flexible in terms of your launch strategy, flexible in terms of your messaging strategy. And by the way, we used to not be that way – we were highly linear.”