PepsiCo appoints M&C Saatchi Abel as lead agency

Advertising agency, M&C Saatchi Abel, has been appointed as lead agency across a portfolio of PepsiCo brands - including, Lay's, Liqui Fruit, and Weet-Bix.

The team behind the pitch looks forward to providing creative solutions that further entrench loyalty for the iconic household and international brands that many South Africans have grown up knowing and loving.

“Winning this mix of iconic brands comes with a legacy and heritage we need to uphold as we begin our journey with the PepsiCo family, but at the same time, it also comes with the challenge of ensuring they remain future-fit and continue to grow,” says Jacques Burger, founding partner: Group Executive | M&C Saatchi Group South Africa.

The diverse product categories provide a unique challenge to both the strategic and creative teams who are set to manage the many facets of the account. While some brands require further home soil strengthening of roots in a bid for continued loyalty, other brands offer the opportunity to leverage global appeal. “Working with a brand like Lay's presents an exciting space to marry global assets with our South African audience, establishing local and regional relevance,” says Burger.

PepsiCo products are enjoyed across the globe more than one billion times a day in approximately 200 countries and territories. These numbers, and the consumer’s continued loyalty, reinforces PepsiCo’s vision to be the global leader in beverages and convenient foods.

Martin Neethling, chief marketing officer: PepsiCo Sub Saharan Africa, explains that the acquisition of Pioneer Foods by PepsiCo in 2020 provided for the integration of, into one portfolio, a range of different and powerful brands.

“This in turn provides us with the unique opportunity to be able to zoom out and examine our agency partner ecosystem. We want to be sure that the agencies we work with are the best partners in these challenging and innovative times,” says Neethling. “We believe that the appointment of new agency partners will bring together creative talent with our winning brands to help us create meaningful connections between our brands, our consumers and their communities".

M&C Saatchi Abel is no stranger to the retail and FMCG sector and welcomes the opportunity to deliver brutally simple solutions, underpinned by a sense of accountability, within the advertising discipline.

“At the end of the day you will know if the work is delivering on the client’s needs by the sound the till makes when customers pick your brand over another,” says Burger. “The till either rings or it doesn’t, and we’re confident the work our team produces will result in increased ringing for years to come.”

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