PepsiCo is set to move some in-house content studio duties to VaynerMedia

PepsiCo is poised to move at least some of its in-house creative studio duties to VaynerMedia. PepsiCo confirmed a new partnership with the agency but declined to share details. The move was signaled last week in a LinkedIn post by Kim Jones Linn, a group creative director at PepsiCo. The post, which has since been deleted, suggested the studio is partnering with VaynerMedia, and as it “shifts from remote/hybrid to location-based work in NYC, a few insanely talented creatives I had the pleasure of working with are now looking for their next opportunity.” Linn’s post highlighted Alicia Araujo, Jenny Bowler and Nick Kunze, three employees who formerly worked on PepsiCo’s creative studio, which is called Creators League, according to their respective LinkedIn profiles. PepsiCo and VaynerMedia, in a joint statement, said: “We are excited to form a unique partnership that leverages our combined marketing and advertising strengths on digital platforms for the PepsiCo portfolio of carbonated soft drinks. While we don’t have any additional details we can give at this time, we look forward to sharing more about the capability and scale of the innovation in the future.” The duo have worked together for several years, especially on social media efforts. In recent years, VaynerMedia has helped revive PepsiCo’s Mug Root Beer and launch Starry, the lemon and lime soft drink branded for Gen Z, including a 2024 Super Bowl commercial. The agency has also supported the Pepsi brand with numerous campaigns. Recent news: PepsiCo names new CMO for North American beverages Creators League was established in 2016 as a means to produce advertising for Pepsi’s beverage brands as well as content for other ventures. Founders envisioned that Creators League could cover the costs of creating advertising with revenue from producing nonbranded content for TV, film and music projects. The venture occupied a studio in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. Creators League was the center of controversy in 2017 when an ad it produced starring Kendall Jenner depicted as participating in a protest march sparked furious backlash that accused Pepsi of co-opting the Black Lives Matter movement. More recently, the studio was behind Lindsay Lohan’s “Pilk” holiday ad in 2022 and a March Madness spot starring Allen Iverson in 2024. Pepsi works with agencies on a campaign-by-campaign basis. Shops on the roster include TracyLocke, Motive, Alma, OMD, ACC and BBDO, the last of which was re-added to the client’s roster in September. PepsiCo also has D3, another in-house creative agency dedicated to foods, which is led by the U.S. chief creative officer for foods, Chris Bellinger.

PepsiCo is set to move some in-house content studio duties to VaynerMedia

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