PepsiCo Step Out From Household Brands in Corporate Campaign
Only 18% of people associate PepsiCo with brands beyond Pepsi itself – PepsiCo are striving to change that.
After creating commotion across its social media accounts and hinting towards a potential name change like “Lay’s-Co”, “Cheetos-Co” and “Gatorade-Co,” PepsiCo has revealed its name will remain – but the brand image will be getting a shakeup.
The ‘House of Brands’ campaign aims to give customers a clearer view of its portfolio’s scale which is made up of over 500 brands, collectively reaching consumers over a billion times globally.
PepsiCo is more than Pepsi
‘House of Brands’ marks PepsiCo’s first ever corporate campaign and centralises around creating awareness of the company’s lesser known brands, shifting focus from household names like Doritos, Cheetos and Quaker.
The campaign strives to further build on its corporate visual identity, which has been recently refreshed, as well as increasing brand visibility across packaging and advertising to tell a more complete story of PepsiCo.
A 30-second spot that was distributed across social channels, particularly Instagram and YouTube, takes a playful angle to other brands feeling excluded.
Cheetos’ brand mascot, Chester, initiated the dissatisfaction by sharing “we should change the name of PepsiCo. Like, why Pepsi? Why can’t the rest of us get some love?”
More of PepsiCo’s brand mascots then chimed in with agreement, getting to make a case for why there should be a name change.
This takes a humorous direction and features a wide range of characters, from Lay’s highlighting its hardworking potato farmers to Simply NKD’s naked guy protesting PepsiCo’s name.
- "House of Brands" is PepsiCo's first-ever corporate campaign.
- Only 18% of people associate PepsiCo with brands beyond Pepsi.
- The portfolio has over 500 brands, reaching consumers over a billion times globally.
- A 30-second social spot has brand mascots, led by Chester Cheetah, pushing for a name change to "Lay's-Co", "Cheetos-Co" and "Gatorade-Co".
- PepsiCo is keeping its name, and the campaign builds on the brand's refreshed corporate visual identity and its visibility across packaging and advertising.
While no name change occurred, the campaign concludes that PepsiCo should be seen as a ‘House of Brands’ rather than individual brands, reinforcing the company’s strength with a story bigger than any single brand.
Making the creative agency switch
The campaign launch comes after PepsiCo’s recent decision to take its US$1.9bn media account from Omnicom, after more than two decades of partnership, to Publicis Groupe as its lead global media partner.
The appointment follows a review of Publicis Groupe’s media capabilities and did not centralise around a traditional competitive pitch.
Publicis is now anticipated to develop a new AI- and data driven “One PepsiCo” media model. Reinforcing the company’s unity between its brands, the model will span strategy, planning, activation and technology across more than 200 markets and brands like Pepsi and Lay’s.
The unified marketing approach also comes after PepsiCo's CMO US Mark Kirkham announced earlier this year that its "spray and pray" marketing strategy is over.
"This is modern day marketing. The idea of spray and pray doesn't work anymore," Mark comments.
‘House of Brands’ has begun to shape the future of PepsiCo’s brand management and brings attention to its lesser known brands, encouraging consumers to explore something new such as Twisties or Aquafina.
This is modern day marketing. The idea of spray and pray doesn't work anymore."
Who are PepsiCo's key partners?
Formula 1: PepsiCo is an official partner of Formula 1 until at least 2030 under a landmark multi-year deal announced in May 2025. From 2026 its soft drinks and snacks are poured and supplied at every Grand Prix. Sting Energy is the official energy drink, while Gatorade and Doritos also feature. The deal adds trackside advertising, fan zone activations and involvement in F1 Academy.
NBA: Gatorade has been the NBA's longest-tenured partner since 1984 and extended it in 2025 for eight more seasons, through 2032-33. It stays the official sports drink and nutrition partner of the NBA and WNBA. Gatorade is a WNBA founding partner and G League lead sponsor. PepsiCo Foods remains the NBA's official chip and title sponsor of the All-Star Celebrity Game.
NFL: Pepsi kicked off its 26th NFL season this month as the league's longtime soft drink partner. It now has partnerships with 15 individual teams, including the newly announced Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who moved over from Coca-Cola after 50 years. Its drinks will be available throughout the Buccaneers' stadium. The current campaign, Tailgating Deserves Pepsi, stars Jerome Bettis and Justin Jefferson.
FIFA: Lay's, part of PepsiCo, signed on as an official sponsor of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. It extends earlier supporter roles at the 2022 men's tournament and 2023 women's event. The deal included pitch side LED exposure, concession sales and fan zones across host cities.
Executives
Mark Kirkham
Chief Marketing Officer