How Poppi is Fizzing Back Up After Influencer Campaign Falls Flat
Last week, we shared a risky co-branding gamble that paid off between HBO’s The White Lotus and the Four Seasons Hotel. Now, let’s take a look at a co-branding opportunity that didn’t hit with consumers.
What Happened
Enter Poppi, a soda alternative that purports to promote gut health through prebiotics and that recently sold to Pepsi for $1.6 billion. This year, the company launched its first Super Bowl ad campaign. To generate buzz in advance of the game, they sent Poppi-filled vending machines to the homes of TikTok influencers.
Seems like a pretty standard influencer campaign move, right?
Consumers hated it and were immediately fired up about the campaign’s direction, criticizing Poppi’s spending on an expensive brand activation that benefitted already wealthy influencers. Almost every influencer who posted about the brand partnership received backlash on their channels for participating in the campaign.
Audiences argued that Poppi should have instead sent those vending machines to those who may have benefitted from them more, such as teachers and nurses.
Stirring the Pot
To add to the chaos, one of Poppi’s primary competitors in the soda alternative space, OliPop, entered the chat.
They began commenting on any post with the Poppi vending machines, agreeing with the critics, pointing out the cost of the campaign and its wastefulness, and leaving snarky remarks about how Olipop “would never.”
The Response to the Backlash
What seemed like a straightforward campaign, co-branding with some of TikTok’s biggest influencers, was ultimately a major flop for Poppi.
So what was a brand to do? Scrap the campaign and pretend it never happened? Nope – Poppi listened to the feedback and following the Super Bowl launched a phase two of their campaign, sending vending machines to a different type of influencer.
Like this teacher who put the vending machine in her classroom:
And this family who makes a monthly homecooked meal for hundreds of college students:
While some have been unwilling to forgive the original misstep, many have acknowledged Poppi’s willingness to correct course.
What Can We Learn Here?
When selecting who to co-brand with, it’s all about understanding what your partner represents and how that then translates to your image. It’s about shared values, mutual benefits, and timing.
Poppi initially selected influencers with major followings that would translate to millions of eyeballs on their brand. These influencers didn’t have “bad” reputations, but they do represent consumerism and a certain luxury lifestyle – it’s how they make their living. What Poppi didn’t calculate was how those values would then be translated to their own brand.
It also represents a shift in attitudes about traditional online influencers. More and more research is emerging that shows consumers, especially Gen Z, are tired of being marketed to by career influencers – they have “influencer fatigue.” They instead prefer content that is authentic and relatable, rather than sponsored and aspirational.
Co-branding isn’t inherently risk – it’s the lack of strategic foresight that makes it so. When brands align their goals, values, and audiences, collaborations can lead to exponential gains. But when partnerships feel disjointed or tone-deaf, they can just as easily erode trust.