The Story Wave 28

1: A Logo Redesign Bridges Pepsi’s Past and Future – Case Study  

Throughout Pepsi’s 125-year history, the popular soda has undergone six major logo redesigns. The most recent redesign was announced in March 2023, while products featuring the updated logo released in August. 

• Driven by consumer feedback, Pepsi’s 2023 logo modernized their popular 1973 logo – bringing this classic look into the future.
• Using QuestBrand data, we examined how Pepsi’s brand equity changed after the announced 2023 logo redesign. 

• The graph above shows how Pepsi’s brand momentum significantly rose throughout the summer and early fall of 2023. Pepsi’s momentum rose (+7.6) from 32.0 at the beginning of June to 39.6 in early September.
• Increased brand momentum was not Pepsi’s only gain. Consumers’ interest in recommending Pepsi products also increased (+6.3) after the announced rebrand.

What can other brands learn from Pepsi’s successful rebrand?

2: Is Music Starting to Sound The Same?

Didn’t we just hear this song? No, but you aren’t alone in thinking so. According to a recent Harris Poll survey, 52% of US adults agree that there is less variety in music now than there was in the past. 

The survey categorizes listeners as either music Nostalgists (those who perceive a decrease in the variety of music) or music Optimists (those who don’t perceive a decrease in the variety of music). Interestingly, these groups listen to music differently.

• The research suggests that whether a person is a music Nostalgist or an Optimist tells us more about the listener’s music habits than the music available to them.
• Nostalgists spend significantly more time than Optimists listening to tracks they’ve heard before (on average, 65% vs. 58% respectively of total time spent listening to music).
• Nostalgists report significantly more than Optimists that they predominantly listen to music on a streaming service (59% vs. 49% of Optimists).
• Nostalgists report more frequently than Optimists that it’s hard for them to discover new music that they like (62% vs. only 24% of Optimists).

Takeaway: “The difference in exposure to new music is striking. The most apparent implication is that lack of exposure to new music is likely linked to a negative view of current music’s variety. That is, the less one exposes themselves to music they haven’t heard before, the less likely they are to hear sounds they perceive as unique.” 

3: Red Baron Engages Gen Z with Creative Marketing Campaigns– Brand Story

Fast, convenient, and affordable, frozen pizza is a staple in many American households. This go-to dinner option is especially popular among the youngest generation of adults – Gen Z. With many brand names filling the grocery store freezer aisle, Red Baron works hard to stand out with creative marketing campaigns that appeal to Gen Zers.

• The graph below uses QuestBrand data to track Red Baron’s brand equity from the beginning of 2022 through the end of September 2023. The black trend line shows data for the general population of US adults. Data specific to Gen Z adults (ages 18-26) is shown in red.

• We can see that Red Baron’s brand equity significantly increased among Gen Z adults throughout 2022 and the first two-thirds of 2023. Over the same period, brand equity remained relatively stable among the general population of US adults.
• We see similar growth in Red Baron’s sales conversion funnel – Gen Zers were significantly more likely to have reported familiarity (+7.6) with, and having tried (trial +8.0) Red Baron pizza in 2023 than they had in 2022.

What Red Baron marketing campaigns resonated with Gen Z? Read our brand story to find out!