Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with Beyonce. She’s immensely talented, a savvy business woman and seems to have a great personality to boot. But what I do have a problem with is Pepsi’s decision to pay her to promote their fizzy cola. It’s a ‘Me’ Cycle mentality and could it inevitably flop with today’s ‘We’ generation?
I’m not the only one who thinks so. Forbes has written a full article about why their decision is “the choice of an old generation” and mocking Pepsi’s claims of seeking ‘authenticity’ in their marketing. According to one of Pepsi’s execs, their new marketing strategy stems from the fact that “Consumers are seeking a much greater authenticity in marketing from the brands they love.” Paying a celebrity to promote your brand is as authentic as throwing a tutu on your golden retriever and calling it a ballerina.
Because here’s the crucial point – Beyonce isn't promoting Pepsi because she loves it (heck, do you seriously think she even drinks the sugary stuff when she has a body like that?). She’s made this very clear, telling her fans in a statement that the deal lets her take Pepsi’s money “…with no compromise and without sacrificing my creativity”. Would you buy something when the person endorsing it doesn't even believe in it herself? I’m not too sure what’s going through the Pepsi execs heads… do they think that people will be hypnotized by Beyonce’s red, white and blue clad booty shaking up and down and become powerless to the Pepsi cravings that will undoubtedly sweep over their body?
Newsflash, Pepsi execs. It doesn’t work like that. If you’ve read Pendulum already, you’ll know that since 2003 we’ve been in what’s known as a ‘We’ Cycle…. where society values very different things to the previous 40 year ‘Me’ Cycle. Right now, authenticity is a KEY social value. People are tired of the bullshit hype and broken promises of the ‘Me’ Cycle where it was all about flashy offers, celebs pointing to the latest product they’re promoting while dazzling the viewer with their abnormally white teeth, and over the top exaggerations of why this product will change your life.
They’re TIRED of all this. What the general public has shifted to is a desire for authenticity above all else – flaws and all. They’re smart enough to make their own decisions and they want to feel like companies realize that and respect them for it. Not disrespect them by waving glitzy promotions in their faces that pretend the yellow brick road to freedom, success and fabulousness is paved with Pepsi soda cans (or any other branded product).
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