The healthy soda craze has taken over in recent years, with companies like poppi replacing Coke and Pepsi products in the diets of soda lovers. These drinks claim to have the benefits that name-brand sodas lack but a taste that’s just as good. Poppi, although not the first of its kind, is a frontrunner in the movement, gaining a distinct cult-like popularity among young-adult women.
In 2020, Mother Beverage underwent a massive rebrand from an apple-cider vinegar-based soda brand to poppi, a prebiotic beverage company. This rebrand was evident in their adoption of a vibrant color-scheme and bubble lettered aesthetic. The company has always marketed itself predominantly for adult women seeking healthy soda. Along the way, however, they expanded their cult-following: younger, Gen Z women and girls. Poppi was right on trend and gained attention for their aesthetic, but had customers stick around for the product.
I’d like to preface that I am no expert in marketing. However, as a Media Studies major interested in marketing, I have become increasingly aware of how brands advertise their products, campaigns, and causes. Poppi has particularly caught my eye because of their success in a gendered sort of marketing. The company has intentionally reached the female demographic from high school to adulthood. I recognize this as a 19-year-old college student who frequently drinks and prefers poppi over other sodas. Through partnerships with influencers and sororities, a collaboration with Target, and aesthetic packaging, poppi has been right on trend in successfully reaching women.
Poppi’s packaging is bright, eye-catching, and sleek. It’s easy to pick out the drink from a crowd, and it may inspire shop-goers to try it. This aestheticism also draws the attention of young women, especially girls in middle or high school who have an eye for all things artsy and aesthetic. Recently, poppi paired with Target, a primary carrier of their sodas, to create an exclusive line of merchandise. It features a variety of sweatshirts, sweatpants, and t-shirts with a bright color scheme and trendy style. Ironically enough, I was gifted a sweatshirt from this line while writing this article. I’ve gotten compliments for its cute design and soft material, attesting to the product’s attraction from fellow young women. Although poppi isn’t looking to be reputable for its clothing, when people see that cute t-shirt with a catchy slogan, they may think, “I should give that soda a try.” Their expansion to merchandise is just another foothold among potential customers.
A similar partnership poppi has formed is with college sororities. I believe this is a genius method of marketing. Sororities are composed of poppi’s largest consumer demographic: college girls. For events like bid day, work week, or formals, sororities sometimes partner with brands to sponsor their event. A company gives the sorority product samples in exchange for recruitment or social media promotion. A friend of mine, Jane Fiorentino, is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority member. Here is what Jane had to say about KKG’s recent partnership with poppi:
“During our recruitment week, Kappa Kappa Gamma partnered with poppi to promote their drinks, and we were given an abundance to enjoy throughout the day and in the days following. We created a banner that said, ‘Kappa is Poppin’ Off,’ which was such a fun way to show off our partnership. Each of us received shirts with pink and yellow lettering that read ‘Flavors Calling,’ featuring poppi’s logo. We all had a lot of fun personalizing our shirts to make them our own. Before the partnership, I had never tried poppi, but I absolutely loved it once I did!”
UW-Madison’s KKG x poppi partnership is only one example of the brand’s promotion in college Greek life. The viral #RushTok trend is a way for sororities to market themselves. Creating flashy videos with creative themes is a way to reach PNM’s (potential new members). While many sororities would likely jump at the opportunity to pair with a reputable brand like poppi, I’d think the company would happily provide their products because the bulk of the advertising work is done for them. This is similar to influencer marketing on social media. They also have predominantly teenage/younger female audiences who would be attracted to the company. People love to follow trends, so by handing their drinks to sororities or influencers, poppi can simply expand their consumership.
Poppi continues to dominate the diet-friendly soda world and doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon. I am curious to see how the brand may expand in future years. Will they add more merchandise? Will they expand their flavors? Would they even consider making alcoholic versions of their beverages? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. But one thing is for sure, poppi has done marketing right.