SoBe is launching its first television ad campaign in an attempt to move the brand into the mass market according to Reuters. Founded in 1996 and now a unit of PepsiCo Inc.’s Pepsi-Cola North America, SoBe gained an underground following through sponsorships of sports like mountain biking and skateboarding.
The first commercial takes direct aim at Snapple. A teenage “wannabe” forsakes the Snapple Iced Tea he holds when he is lured by three alternative sports stars’ choice of SoBe. “Our key competition has been, and will continue to be, Snapple,” says John Bello, SoBe’s chief executive officer.
Moderator Comment: What lessons can SoBe/Pepsi learn
from the failed Snapple/Quaker deal? Do those lessons apply here? [George
Anderson – Moderator]