Amid the conversations and controversy from Super Bowl Sunday, Poppi finds itself in an uncomfortable situation.
Poppi is an Austin, Texas-based prebiotic soda brand that debuted in 2018. It had multiple strategies to promote its drink during the Super Bowl season, but this specific one took the internet by storm. They launched a marketing campaign by sending custom, fully stocked vending machines to over 30 influencers. Each vending machine was sent to these influencers’ homes so they could use the machine to host their Super Bowl watch parties.
The public quickly criticized this strategy for seeming out of touch and extravagant, questioning the necessity of gifting influencers these machines when they could have placed them in community spaces like college campuses, hospitals, or malls instead.
Poppi had a great start. Their playful and creative branding uses the slogan, “Be Gut Happy. Be Gut Healthy.” They originally built a strong community by using reposts, giveaways, and shoutouts to engage with its consumers. With the rise of influencer marketing and the exponential growth of budget, Poppi started leaning heavily into influencer partnerships and “go big or go home” public relations strategies. Over the last year, their marketing strategies have been drastically bigger, competing with brands like Tarte Cosmetics, which is notorious for influencer brand trips and extravaganzas.
Objectively, the vending machine is super cool and versatile. There is so much they could have done with it. The public criticism is not just at Poppi but from seeing brands who have put all their eggs in one basket (influencers) and oversaturated this strategy, making the brand unrelatable. People were already fed up, and Poppi played the wrong move at the wrong time.
The public suggested being a part of the experiences that only influencers seem to be a part of. I think they wanted to outdo other brands’ marketing strategies, leading them out of orbit. Sometimes, even in our personal lives, we get so caught up in things that we forget what’s important and our core values. The competition isn’t even with other soda brands anymore, although Ollipop used this to lead Poppi’s upset consumers to them. I guarantee they succeeded, but influencers have gotten so big that brands compete with others in different categories of their products or services. It wouldn’t be wise to assume that Poppi is the only brand partaking in this behavior.
This is not to say that influencer marketing doesn’t work or isn’t necessary. There needs to be a balance, and creators’ involvement is pivotal for a brand.
Some influencers who received the vending machines have not responded well to the Poppi backlash. Many believe it is because brands plan to pull back on influencer partnerships and are upset with viewers. Viewers are watching these influencers’ irritation toward them, resulting in more influencer hate.
A brand needs to have good influencer relationships. If they go overboard, are poorly received, and have to pull back, that’s another internal problem. Many factors would be affected and need to be considered. One slip-up reminds people of the past, reigniting the talk about Poppi’s gut health lawsuit. These conversations being held are what make consumers reconsider what they’re buying.
Poppi responded to the backlash with a TikTok by founder and CEO Allison Ellsworth, stating she had heard the conversations and explained the original point of the campaign. She said, “Vending machines will be a part of the brand for years to come,” and encouraged people to let them know where they’d like to see them. Without namedropping, she mentioned that their competitor, Ollipop, is spreading misinformation about the cost of the vending machines online.
Many viewers engaged and commented on places they’d want to see vending machines, while others criticized Ellsworth for looking like she was reading off a script.
Some key takeaways from this entire situation: everything is good in moderation; putting your all into one thing can make you unintentionally neglect others, and listening is incredibly important. A good way to avoid mishaps is to ask people what they think via an anonymous survey or something similar.
Competition doesn’t always sit well with people. In a corporate world, everyone competes in the end. Audiences want to be seen, heard and feel part of something bigger. Being driven by competition and lust will create a disconnect.
Poppi is a brand filled with potential. I don’t think anyone cares about the vending machine being $25,000. I think people were annoyed that it all went to just one person briefly. Poppi has a great foundation with its branding and creativity, but it must do better at listening and responding to its audiences. Influencers can be included; mixing the two is not a bad idea when no one is excluded. Poppi can bounce back if it uses its talent correctly, but only time will tell.