Using consumer behavior, we will be analyzing Pepsi's ad "Pilk".
First, let's quickly define consumer behavior.
Consumer behavior is the study of people, groups, or organizations, as well as all behaviors connected to the acquisition, consumption, and disposal of products and
services.
It also focuses on consumers' emotional, mental, and behavioral reactions.
In order to better understand why customers choose the actions they do, researchers examine consumer behavior to spot patterns and trends.
Consumer behavior data are used by marketers to target their advertisements and promotional initiatives. Marketers believe they can more successfully focus their marketing messages to influence customer decisions if they understand why consumers make the choices they do.
Consumer behavior can be influenced by a wide range of factors:
- Culture: Consumer behavior is greatly influenced by culture.
- Social influences: Peers, family, and other social groups can have an impact on what customers buy and how they act.
- Personal considerations: Age, income, lifestyle, and personality are all examples of personal characteristics that can affect what customers buy and how they act.
- Psychological variables: Motivation, perception, and learning are all psychological variables that can affect what consumers buy and how they act.
Having laid out the basics, let's begin!
On social media, "Pilk," a brand-new beverage, is trending. Since an ad featuring Lindsay Lohan aired on December 1, 2022, this concoction of milk and Pepsi cola has become quite popular.
TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter users quickly caught on to the craze. Pepsi decided to build an advertising campaign specifically for the holiday season in order to ride the wave.
Lindsay Lohan, disguised as Mrs. Claus, may be seen pouring herself a glass of Pilk in a video released on December 1, 2022. At the same time, the hashtag "PilkAndCookies" was developed, implying that customers love a cookie dipped in their soda-milk cocktail.
Why Milk?
The first question that came to mind when I saw the ad was "Why milk?", from all the weird combinations, why milk?!
All of this is plainly a marketing trick, allowing the drink to specifically target young consumers. Pepsi is riding a wave that began in the spring on the social network TikTok: the "Dirty Soda," which is a combination of a soda and a milk-based drink.
Olivia Rodrigo, the interpreter of the hit Drivers License, is the teenage vocalist that initiated the trend. She shared a photo of herself holding a cup from the Swig chain.
A business opened in Utah that specialized in "dirty soda," because Mormons, who are relatively numerous in this state of the American West, are normally religiously not permitted to consume alcohol or hot drinks such as tea or coffee. As a result, they required alternatives.
In Pakistan, it is also said that Doodh Soda, a mixture of lemon soda and milk, has been consumed for years.
Motivation Factors
Pepsi uses hedonic needs as a drive in their ad, by presenting the Christmas holiday, with colors and musical effects that remind the consumer of happy moments on such occasions. The ad targets emotions and feelings rather than biological needs.
What are hedonic needs?
Hedonic needs are the impact of a person's pleasure and pain receptors on their propensity to move towards a goal or away from a hazard. This is related to the traditional motivational notion that individuals prefer pleasure to suffering.
Also, motivational drives include self-actualization needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, as the ad presents a new experience (recipe) for consumers.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Deficit requirements and growth needs can be used to categorize this five-stage model. The highest level is known as growth or being needs, whereas the previous four levels are sometimes referred to as deficiency needs (D-needs) (B-needs).
The deficit needs to develop as a result of deprivation and is thought to motivate individuals when unsatisfied. Additionally, the longer these wants to go unmet, the bigger the drive to satisfy them will be. For instance, a person will get increasingly hungry the longer they go without meals.
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How Did Pepsi Enhance Involvement?
To increase consumer involvement, specifically message-response involvement, Pepsi used:
- prominent stimuli in their ad, like the loud happy music at the start, and the very bright colors.
- They used an unusual recipe in the ad, mixing soda and milk, which is considered a novel stimulus.
- They also used celebrity endorsement by bringing Lindsay Lohan.
What Values Did Pepsi Use to Influence Its Target Audience?
To influence consumers’ attitudes, Pepsi uses the Experiential Hierarchy model, as it highlights the positive feelings that accompany having their soda with cookies, by using sound effects, and decoration that brings up emotions of happiness and cheerfulness. Based on the effect, the behavior will take place, and then cognition.
Also, it used the Attitude Toward-the-Ad Model, as consumers will form attitudes towards the whole brand based on the feelings that they have during watching this ad.
What is the attitude toward-the-ad the model?
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