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Pepsi Buys Poppi
That’s one pricey soda.
Last week, news broke that Pepsi would acquire the prebiotic soda brand Poppi for nearly $2 billion.
In just a decade, Poppi has gone from farmer’s market favorite to billion-dollar investment target.
The brand promises a healthier soda sipping experience, with more prebiotics and less sugar.
Poppi got its start as Mother Beverage, when co-founder Allison Ellsworth started making carbonated drinks with apple cider vinegar in her kitchen.
The brand made a game-changing appearance on Shark Tank in 2018, prompting a rebrand to Poppi and additional investor interest.
Poppi has steadily grown its market and audience since, with celebrity partnerships, influencer campaigns and Super Bowl ad controversies, culminating in Pepsi’s investment.
Poppi’s Positioning
The sale shows how popular “functional” beverages are with consumers, especially younger audiences. But it also shows how a brand can disrupt a category while still claiming some of its key attributes.
For Poppi, it’s a delicate dance. How do you tap into the massive soft drink market while rejecting the traditional attributes of soda?
One way is through tightly defined audience personas. Poppi has a deep understanding of its customers and what they value in purchasing decisions.
“Millennials, like myself, grew up drinking soda and loving it, so it’s closely associated with so many memories for us,” Elsworth told Forbes. “Backyard BBQs, movies, and hanging out with friends, we’d always be drinking traditional sodas. I think once we all found out it wasn’t the healthiest, attitudes started to shift, but now millennials are seeking out brands like Poppi who can provide those products in a healthier package that tastes just as amazing.”
Younger generations, Ellsworth says, don’t share that nostalgia for soda, so Poppi’s marketing as a lifestyle brand is more relevant.
This balance is reflected in Poppi’s offerings, which include traditional soda flavors as well as new varieties that define the emerging “functional pop” category.