Pepsi: Right refresh or risky remedy?

In only a few months time, we’ve witnessed a wave of soft drink rebrands. The Coca-Cola Company has refreshed its Sprite and Fanta brands; rival Pepsico hasn’t only given 7Up a new look, but has now announced a bold move for its main brand Pepsi, too.

Rebranding is about things being lined up again. A new version of something we’ve known already is being introduced to the world. It’s like a reset of look and feel — or even character. Sure, it can be exciting to see such a metamorphosis, but isn’t it actually a sign of weakness? Shouldn’t an established brand stay who it is, and only change its appearance gradually, through unobtrusive updates? In the case of Pepsi, the last rebrand lies back only 15 years. For a global brand of this kind, that's a rather short time. Why is a major adjustment needed now?

Bigger and bolder

Well, let’s first take a look at the rebrand in detail. First of all, we can see that the red-and-blue globe and word mark, torn apart in the 90s, have been reunited. As for so many rebrands, the new logo is inspired by its earlier predecessors. Also in terms of color, we see two old acquaintances from the 70s and 80s return: a darker blue (which is slightly closer to purple), and black. The latter had been used for Zero Sugar products already and, as that’s the brand’s new emphasis, it has made it into the primary palette. The third usual suspect, typeface, has got an update as well. Although the brand also mentions a new visually distinct can silhouette, I don’t quite see any major difference there. What is new, however, is the introduction of motion to the key brand artefacts:

The signature Pepsi pulse evokes the "ripple, pop and fizz" of Pepsi-Cola with movement. It also brings the rhythm and energy of music, an important and continuing part of the Pepsi legacy. — Pepsico

It seems to be a rather visual refresh only. Nothing special, one can say, but this rebrand raises my eyebrows. What's actually happening here?

Thriving or trashing?

Amongst the current trend of reviving “that logo we used back in the days which wasn’t too bad after all” (see Burger King, Burberry, and FIAT), this logo redesign might not be a surprise. However, Pepsi has seen long periods of similar visual concepts, and this really is a hard cut; the 2023 logo doesn't look like being a successor by any means.

Pepsi is a shining example of a brand that has consistently reinvented itself over 125 years to remain a part of pop culture and a part of people's lives. — Mauro Porcini, SVP & Chief Design Officer of PepsiCo

Has it really been the plan to renew this often, and specifically this time?

I'd claim that answer lies in the 2008 logo. Its design hasn't lived long. Parts of the idea — for instance using different globe versions for Pepsi variants — were eliminated and only one small adjustment was made some six years later. The upcoming rebrand marks the dead end of the most dramatic — and erroneous — transformation to date, if you ask me.

As a matter of fact, reactions hadn’t been very positive from the beginning. People found it unprofessional and unspectacular — and failed to strengthen its competitiveness.

In an attempt to make the logo have it all, it ended up having a little. The reason? The design logic behind the logo, which can be seen in a leaked design strategy document, is very far-fetched, I’d say, and many agree with me. Designers are still making fun of the presentation, which demonstrates that the logo is actually the logical sum of a wide range of theories (golden ratio, geodynamics, earth’s magnetic field, gravitational field, pythagoras theorem, and the theory of relativity — just to name a few), cultural connections (the Mona Lisa, the Parthenon, and the American flag), and multiple emotions.

All great for a design pitch but what customers feel is what counts, and they might recognize no more than a touch of humbleness in the lower-case word mark, and a hint of a smile in the Pepsi globe. (Even the letter “P” can be spotted in there, but I’ve never managed to do so.)

Consistent vs. contemporary

"Coke is timeless, Pepsi is timely," they say.

Compared to the major visual moves that Pepsi has made in the last 125 years, the logo adjustments of arch rival Coca-Cola during the same time are practically negligible. The willingness to stick to one concept for more than a century has probably had more impact than its actual visual uniqueness, I'd claim. The Coca-Cola logo is recognized by 94% of the world's population, and the returning slogan elements "fresh", "real", and "joy" have certainly also contributed to its uninterrupted first place in the market. Pepsi might go with the time, and claims it is doing so again with the latest rebrand. This can lead to refreshing moments, but in the long run, I think this blurs the brand.

I truly hope the new appearance is not just following the retro logo trend but also ushers in a new, long era of visual consistency. Cheers!