That feeling when you order Coke... And they ask if Pepsi's okay instead. Pepsi might not be everyone's soda of choice, but it's winning on one thing: snacks. With restaurants, sports stadiums, and movie theaters closed during the pandemic, PepsiCo's beverage sales plunged 7%. Good thing the snacks portfolio was there to save the day:
- Frito-Lay sales rose 7%: Pepsi owns the four big Os (Cheetos, Doritos, Tostitos, and Fritos), plus Lays (you really can't eat just one).
- Quaker sales rose 23%: Pepsi owns your entire breakfast with Quaker Oats, cereal, and those Chewy snack bars that you ate 1,000 of at soccer practice.
- Pepsi's overall sales fell just 3% for the quarter thanks to the dippy-chewy snacks success.
The revival of "forgotten habits"... The pandemic has boosted Big Food brands like Pepsi, Kraft, Unilever, and Kellogg. Consumers have turned to these familiar, affordable names for corona hoarding. And stress snacking has gained new power in the WFH era. However...
- Healthy-ish drinks sparkled: Pepsi Zero Sugar and Bubly sparkling water saw double-digit sales growth. Pepsi's juice biz (including Tropicana OJ) got a big immunity boost.
- Healthy-ish snacks like SmartPop popcorn, Sun Chips, Bare dried fruit chips, and Sabra hummus are also part of the Pepsi fam. Which is why...
Pepsi needs to change its name (or at least rebrand)... When you think of Pepsi, you think of canned soda and Mountain Dew. But Pepsi has a lot more to offer than sugary soda. Its latest earnings reveal that those "didn't-know-it-was-Pepsi" products — like Quaker Oats and Naked juice — are thriving. Perhaps the whole brand could get a boost if Pepsi honed in on that value prop.