PepsiCo Asks SXSW 2012 Attendees to Imagine the Future of Digital

AUSTIN, Tex., March 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo, the largest food and beverage company in North America, is creating rich experiences for attendees at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2012, across digital, music and film. In its fourth year at SXSW, PepsiCo and four of its "billion-dollar" brands will be onsite, including a first-time appearance by Doritos and engaging activations from Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Brisk. During the Interactive festival, PepsiCo will host the What If? Unconference, where attendees will collectively brainstorm ideas about what the future might look like by applying digital solutions in surprising ways. Daily What If? Unconference insights, photos and videos will be captured at PepsiCo.com/SXSW.

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The brands' programming at SXSW includes:

• Mountain Dew will highlight its exclusive digital music label Green Label Sound, designed to support emerging musicians by building their fan bases and exposing their music to new audiences, at an official SXSW concert. The concert will feature Green Label artists, including Juicy J, Star Slinger and independent hip-hop star Mac Miller. The showcase will feature an innovative activation with Instagram that will allow attendees to print Instagram pix that they tag with #GLSSXSW and to see their Instagram pix featured live on stage throughout the show. Find out more at www.greenlabelsound.com.

• Brisk is bringing the force to Austin with a series of Star Wars-inspired activities as part of its 2012 partnership with the 3-D theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. The Brisk Bodega: Cantina will kick things off with its third and final appearance of the year. The 24-hour pop-up experience will showcase authentic art curated by Lucasfilm and urban artists in a cool environment complete with music by Roxy Cottontail and Just Blaze. On select days throughout the festival, fans are also invited to stop by the Brisk mobile unit for a chance to get "Briskified" in photos with a light saber, sample and pick up exclusive Star Wars-themed Brisk cans, and play Brisksaber—the mobile gaming app where your finger becomes a lightsaber—for a chance to win prizes.   
  
  Brisk Bodega: Cantina—3/12, 5pm-Midnight at Molotov Lounge. Brisk sampling and fan engagement—3/12, 3pm-8pm at Molotov Lounge; 3/15-3/17, 3pm-8pm at 6th Street and Red River. 

• Pepsi is partnering with emerging social DJing platform Turntable.fm to bring SXSW an amazing lineup of some of today's most influential global DJs. Extending the music beyond Austin, Pepsi is curating its own room, "Where There's Pepsi, There's Music," during the platform's popular "Turntable Tuesdays." The room will feature virtual performances of A-list DJs.

• Doritos will host its first-ever brand activation for PepsiCo at SXSW when it unveils its newest product innovation through a one-of-a-kind venue, The Jacked Stage. This innovative, must-see stage will feature some of the hottest music performances at SXSW and offer festival badge holders their first taste of the new Doritos product, which will be available in stores nationally in late March.

A launching pad for the people and companies driving digital innovation, SXSW is also witness to PepsiCo announcing the expansion of its digital incubator program – PepsiCo10. In 2012, PepsiCo10 heads to India and Brazil, both key growth markets for PepsiCo and countries bubbling with digital energy and talent. Designed to discover and support emerging technology companies, PepsiCo10 has already seen several successful pilot marketing programs with PepsiCo brands including Brisk and Quaker in the United States and Walkers in the UK.   PepsiCo will again work with partners Omnicom and Highland Capital Partners on the program. Learn more at PepsiCo10.com.  

"PepsiCo returns to South by Southwest year after year because we believe that it is a center of culture and brings together the best minds in digital— both influencers and creative thinkers," said Josh Karpf, PepsiCo's Global Director of Digital and Social Media. "With PepsiCo's What If? Unconference, and throughout the festival, we're looking to gather input from attendees and explore new ways to drive digital forward."

Co-hosted by PepsiCo and digital luminaries—including Jessica Hagy, founder of Indexed, the popular visual scribe blog, and Matthew C. Brimer, Co-Founder of General Assembly, the co-working meets academic campus for digital start-ups in New York's Flatiron district, among others—the What If? Unconference is a series of daily brainstorms, focusing on the connection between digital and (1) how people make and interact with products, (2) how companies use Big Data to create consumer benefit, and (3) how talent is moving into the driver's seat as companies' No. 1 asset. Specific brainstorm prompts will be teased each day prior to the onsite Unconference on Bloomberg West, as part of an integrated partnership between PepsiCo and the digital-focused national television program.

The What If? Unconference daily brainstorms will take place at PepsiCo Central in the Austin Convention Center. Designed to be the ultimate collaboration and creative-thinking space, the area is a truly visual experience with wall-to-wall whiteboards and interactive screens; a Livescribe data feed of notes, doodles and conversations from around SXSW recorded by 200 PepsiCo Livescribers; and a reimagined PepsiCo Zeitgeist, a real-time ticker of social media activity around SXSW, showcasing the "digital pulse" of the event.

In addition to onsite activations, for the first time, PepsiCo is matching its SXSW activities with in-store promotions at more than 150 local retailers around Austin and San Antonio.

For a full schedule of the What If? Unconference at PepsiCo Central, including scheduled brainstorm discussions, as well as recap videos, photos, Livescribe notes and blog posts, check out PepsiCo.com/SXSW.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit PepsiCo.com.

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