The Pepsi Way for Digital Innovation

Many brands have an “experimental budget” but not PepsiCo. Instead, Brad Jakeman, president of PepsiCo’s global beverage group, wants innovation to be part of everything it does.

The exec spoke last month at the Digiday Agency Summit in Florida  about the company’s approach to digital innovation and how it partners with its agencies to make it happen.

“Failing often, failing fast, and failing quickly is key,” he said, yet it’s difficult for Fortune 50 companies to create that type of culture. Jakeman even thinks Pepsi could have done a better job with its much-lauded “Refresh” product, which veered too much into cause marketing, in his assessment.

Jakeman joined The Barbarian Group’s Sophie Kelley to discuss how the two are partnering to innovate within the organization.

DAS: Selling Innovation to Clients from Digiday on Vimeo.

More in Marketing

YouTube’s upmarket TV push still runs on mid-funnel DNA

YouTube is balancing wanting to be premium TV, the short-form powerhouse and a creator economy engine all at once.

Digiday ranks the best and worst Super Bowl 2026 ads

Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to reflect on the best and worst commercials from Super Bowl 2026.

In the age of AI content, The Super Bowl felt old-fashioned

The Super Bowl is one of the last places where brands are reminded that cultural likeness is easy but shared experience is earned.