Interview
Advertiser interview - Pablo García, brand manager, PepsiCo Snacks Argentina
18 November 2009
Pop-Korn, the favorite snack from the ‘80s, has returned to Argentina, and now it is up to consumers to decide which other product from the ‘80s they want back again in the market. PepsiCo Snacks Argentina brand manager, Pablo García, talks about the company’s new retro strategy.
What prompted the return of Pop-Korn, after it has been out of the market for so many years?
On Facebook and other social networks, consumers were begging for Pop-Korn to come back. In a context where the retro wave is the newest thing, thousands of people happened to be nostalgic for Pop-Korn.
There are a few Argentine advertisers that are choosing retro aesthetics for their campaigns, but you went ahead and directly launched a retro product. Why is this?
The retro wave seems to be a worldwide measure, and in a city like Buenos Aires this appears to be working wonders. The platform we are creating is called Retro Snacks and takes to the extreme a speech that’s commonly adopted by brands --and, nevertheless, not that commonly put into practice-- which claims that brands belong to the people.
How are you backing up your “brands belong to the people” claim?
We worked with BBDO Argentina on a Retro Snacks website, www.retrosnacks.com.ar, in which people can vote for the product they want us to deliver again. The contestants are all snacks that used to be in the market years ago. As soon as we have a winner, another retro product will return to the market.
On another note, what impact has the recession had on PepsiCo this year?
We are firm believers that the best way of overcoming these crises is to keep up the work in order to maintain strong brands. We have doubled our bet, improving the innovation level and the quality of the product. Our consumers continue to choose us because our products are funny, tasty and of high quality.
You have been in the company for five years now. How have PepsiCo Snacks brands evolved in that period?
It has basically managed to penetrate even deeper in the consumers’ minds. Take Doritos, for example. It has deepened its dialogue with the public through campaigns like ‘Bring slow dancing back’ and ‘Let’s make it to the second date’. All this effort is crowned now with Retro Snacks, where the exchange with the consumers is as open as can be.
Valentina Vescovi and Aixa Rocca, Buenos Aires