PepsiCo: LIFEWTR

How might we innovate to create the next billion-dollar beverage brand?

Future-proof Innovation | Proposition Development | Inspirational Insight

LIFEWTR delivered $150m in revenue in the first 12 months

The Challenge

Soda drinking is on the decline. Healthy alternatives are on the rise. For one of the world’s biggest drinks companies, pivoting to take advantage of this cultural shift was critical. PepsiCo recruited Sense Worldwide to help them develop their next billion-dollar brand to sit alongside their existing 22 billion-dollar brands. They needed to secure their position in an emerging market. Premium water was the target.

The Outcomes

LIFEWTR was born. Each bottle is a canvas for a new artist, bringing their work to new audiences. Every 6 months fresh designs are released. This made the product a commodity and a fashion statement. This gave PepsiCo packaging that could keep up with the ever-changing trends of Millennials, while driving sales in a vertical that stepped away from soda.

LIFEWTR was a proposition development created collaboratively, iteratively, from blank page to launch.

The Result

LIFEWTR delivered $150m in revenue in the first 12 months.

Our Approach

Pepsi has brand equity with all ages. But Millennials drive the premium water segment. To develop a future-proof product that spoke to this discerning audience we needed to tap into fresh perspectives. Our mantra has always been “if you’re not creating with them, you’re not creating for them”.

We know that Millennials expect more from brands than previous consumer groups. But what is specifically driving their buy-in? We reached out to a group of 50+ radical members of The Sense Network to find out what is going to drive the future of Millennial consumption.

How The Sense Network Helped

Millennials live at the edge of culture. They are designing the new world in which they want to live. A ‘me too’ water brand would not work with them. To understand this future consumer we engaged Millennials from across the globe to find what underlies and drives emerging trends within this group. This would feed the brand purpose, packaging concepts, and the name.

Through our collaboration with these leading-edge consumers, we established that social purpose was as important to them as the quality of the drink. Also, as well as wanting a healthy option, they saw purchases as a fashion statement.