Pepsi Partners with Jay Pharoah to Promote Pepsi Spire

via BevNet

PR Newswire (PURCHASE, N.Y.) March 28, 2016 —Jay Pharoah, comedian and cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, is teaming up with Pepsi Spire, the innovative digital beverage fountain, to inspire consumers to raise the flavor of their favorite Pepsi beverages with totally customizable creations.

To encourage consumers to raise the flavor of their favorite beverages, Pharoah “crashed” the Pepsi Spire fountain at the Arby’s restaurant in New York City that recently opened near Times Square. Through virtual technology, Jay appeared on the machine’s digital touchscreen to the delight (and sometimes surprise) of unassuming guests – he challenged some to dance-offs, serenaded a few, introduced a couple of new characters and ultimately, helped fans create their very own Pepsi Spire concoctions. Watch the shenanigans unfold here.

Watch the demo here.

Pepsi Spire is a sleek, innovative beverage fountain that puts hundreds of drink combinations at people’s fingertips. Pepsi Spire can pour up to three flavor shots simultaneously (think: lemon, vanilla, cherry and more), with fan-favorite beverages, like Mountain Dew, Pepsi or Brisk Iced Tea.

“Pepsi Spire at its core is all about fun and the sometimes surprising, always extremely personalized experience with our products and innovation,” said Todd Kaplan, senior director of marketing innovation at PepsiCo. “We are all about discovering new ways to engage with our consumers and love the way that Jay’s hilarious antics took that engagement to a totally new level with Pepsi Spire.”

Pepsi Doubles Down on Craft Soda With 1893 Cola Concept

via Eater

 

PepsiCo launched a new product this week: The soda company's new 1893 Original Cola and 1893 Ginger Cola pay homage to its founding year and add to the growing list of similar craft products on the rise in the U.S. The beverages will be available in 12-ounce cans at retail locations across the country, according to The Street.

The 1893 colas are meant to appeal to a source-conscious mindset. Ingredients include kola nut extract, certified fair trade sugar, and sparkling water. The rollout of the beverage sparked surpriseand curiosity on social media, where people posted their own reviews, with one user comparing it toPepsi's "real sugar" offering, and another recommending the ginger cola for any ginger beer fans.

This is not Pepsi's first foray into the trendy craft beverage realm. In 2014, the company introducedCaleb Kola, named after founder Caleb Bradham, and later launched its lineup of Stubborn Sodas, which embrace more offbeat flavors like agave vanilla cream, black cherry with tarragon, and lemon berry açai.

Pepsi is also working on plans for a restaurant in New York City. Kola House, slated for Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, does not have a menu nailed down, but will certainly feature the brand's craft sodas in any cocktails served.

 Watch "What is 1893" here.