The keys to a smart video strategy

If you’re on a marketing team, your mission is to build intimate, direct relationships with people and to bring your brand (or brands) to life through those interactions. Even in the best of times, that can be a challenge for a company like PepsiCo, which has 280 brands under one umbrella.

But what happens during a global crisis? “When billions of people’s lives change drastically,” writes Atin Kulkarni, head of global media and data center of excellence for PepsiCo, “it’s our job to adapt and figure out the best way to show up.”

For PepsiCo — and any other company for that matter — having a flexible, measurable video marketing strategy has never been more critical. But pulling it off, say Kulkami, isn’t easy.

For a few years now, he and his team have worked to gain a more holistic picture of their marketing and its impact by investing in new tools, technology, and organizational change. As immensely challenging as the past several months have been, these investments have helped PepsiCo to quickly pivot and address people’s evolving needs, as well as to continue to drive impact.

• Transform how you measure. Consider automating as much as you can to create standardized outputs. Then use machine learning to synthesize more inputs and create richer models.
• Adopt global norms that allow for nuance. One size does not fit all, but it’s important to establish a few creative and media best practices that are universally applicable across all geographies.
• Apply a test-and-learn mindset to unlock innovation. Create a robust testing agenda that has clear goals, budgets, and measurements.

Our internal study uncovered that YouTube could achieve a higher level of incremental reach beyond TV, while also showing a lower cost per rating point. — Hyojung Hwang, media director, Procter & Gamble