Key Takeaways:
- Pepsi launches two new zero-sugar flavors paired with an AI tool that evaluates sweetness, using playful and quirky comparisons to highlight the new taste.
- The launch includes the "Sweet Room" pop-up in London, offering a multi-sensory experience for fans to engage with "The Sweetest" tool.
- The campaign targets a younger Gen Z audience, combining technology, interactivity, and pop culture to engage consumers.
Pepsi is taking sweetness to the next level with the launch of two new zero sugar flavors: Strawberries 'N' Cream and Cream Soda.
To mark the launch, the new offerings are paired with an innovative, one-of-a-kind "The Sweetest" tool that measures and quantifies sweetness like never before.
As part of a campaign helmed by PepsiCo's in-house creative agency Sips & Bites, the brand has developed a scientifically-backed AI system to help consumers measure sweetness both literally and figuratively.
Pepsi's collaboration with Smooth Technology, the team behind the AI system, helped bring this sweet vision to life, opening the door to an entirely new way of experiencing flavor.
Using AI models and data analysis, the "What's Sweeter?" challenge can evaluate how sweet everything is.
From animals to abstract emotions, the tool pits them against the taste of Pepsi's new options.
This marks a major leap for the soda giant, using AI to blend pop culture with personalization and interactivity to engage a younger, flavor-forward Gen Z audience.
In a statement, the interactive design agency expressed its excitement to be part of the project:
"Through creating this AI system, we got to truly understand sweetness on a different level. What makes something sweet, figurately and literally?
To understand that, we made a system that looks at everything from colour and softness to what people think about it."
Sips & Bites Europe Chief Creative Officer Matthew Watson also chimed in to highlight the brand's overall goal of creating something culturally relevant.
The campaign runs across multiple platforms, including OOH, digital, and social.
Turning Sweetness Into an Experience
"The Sweetest" campaign asks fans to consider: Is Pepsi's new Strawberries 'N' Cream flavor sweeter than a Pomeranian puppy?
Or perhaps, how does Cream Soda compare to a heartfelt text from your grandma?
The proprietary AI technology evaluates these sweet comparisons by considering physical characteristics like color and softness, as well as the emotional responses they provoke.
Each comparison results in a fun and quirky measurement, such as "8% sweeter than a cute potato" or "Almost as sweet as a text from grandma."
Pepsi is also launching the "Sweet Room" pop-up in Central London, a multi-sensory, immersive space where fans can explore the flavors and engage with the AI tool in real time.
It will be open from April 17 to 20, offering free samples of the new Zero Sugar flavors, a Sweet Arcade with prizes, and the chance to win exclusive merchandise.
The campaign pushes the boundaries of experiential marketing, allowing the brand to create memorable, interactive moments that directly engage consumers.
This approach builds stronger emotional connections and drives long-term loyalty.
Last month, the iconic soda brought back the famous Pepsi Challenge for a 70s-inspired campaign with a blind taste test.
