If you’ve watched enough RushTok videos, you know sorority recruitment is about way more than the OOTDs and Work Week dances. It’s also become a chance for some of Gen Z’s favorite brands to get in on the action. And Poppi seems to always be leading the pack.
The soda brand has become increasingly intertwined with college recruitment in recent years, showing up at bid days, spirit weeks, and other campus events. This year, Poppi is sending more than 1 million cans to more than 2,000 sororities across the country, as well as 28,000 pieces of custom merch to more than 30 chapters, further solidifying itself as one of the most highly visible brands throughout sorority rush — both on campus and on social media.
But how did a soda brand, of all things, become such a major part of sorority recruitment?
According to Caroline Taylor, Poppi’s Director of Collegiate & Ambassador Relations, Poppi’s relationship with sorority culture didn’t begin with some big marketing plan. It actually began pretty organically.
“We’re always looking for ways that we can show up in fun, authentic, community-driven ways,” Taylor tells Her Campus. “So when it came to college, recruitment just became a natural extension of that approach. We had a lot of … sororities asking to have Poppi at their bid days or their spirit weeks. It really just came from that community-first approach.”
From there, Poppi’s involvement with rush grew from just sending some products to sorority houses to establishing close working relationships with certain chapters. In 2024, for example, the brand partnered with Zeta Tau Alpha at the University of Texas at Austin (in the same city where Poppi was founded) for a Poppi-themed spirit day featuring the brand’s founder, Allison Ellsworth. In 2025, Poppi partnered with mega-influencer (and sorority dropout) Alix Earle for even more content gold. And with 2026 rush season still in full swing, there’s no telling what surprises Poppi still has up its (likely pink) sleeves.
At this point, scoring a Poppi rush collab is something of a status symbol for sorority houses. But with such high demand, Poppi can’t work with every sorority chapter that wants a taste. “We look for communities where there is genuine excitement and enthusiasm for Poppi,” Taylor says. “We really want to build organic brand love because we want the partnership to feel organic, so we are working with chapters this year that we’ve worked with the last three years.”
But it’s not just Poppi calling the shots. “We totally let the students own it,” Taylor says about the partnerships. “They know their communities better than anyone, and we want to let them just be themselves and to incorporate Poppi naturally into the moments they are already creating.” That could look like custom merch, scroll-stopping video campaigns, and, of course, tons of Poppi.
Poppi’s relationship with college students doesn’t just stop at sorority culture. The company launched its college ambassador program in 2024, giving Poppi a direct relationship with students year-round. According to Taylor, during its recent fall application cycle, Poppi received over 11,000 applications for 250 spots in the program. Looking ahead, there’s no sign of the brand slowing its efforts to connect to one of its most important — and valued — audiences.
“College students are truly shaping culture, and we are a culture-first brand,” Taylor says. “We just know this is such an important audience, and truly this is an audience that is also authentically excited about the brand as well and excited about Poppi. So we obviously want to give back to the community that loves the brand as much as we love being able to provide Poppi for them.”