PepsiCo‘s Rebrand: A Continuation of Strategic Intent As 2001
PepsiCo’s recent brand refresh, unveiled in 2025, isn’t a departure from its core strategy, but rather an acceleration of a direction established over two decades ago. This is according to Julia Beardwood, who contributed to the original PepsiCo corporate identity work at Landor in 2001.
Back then, the strategic intent centered on showcasing the power and global reach of a company anchored by five billion-dollar brands: Pepsi, Gatorade, Tropicana, Lay’s, and Quaker. The 2001 design prominently featured a globe encircled by rings in the colors of these brands, intended to emphasize their diversity and importance to both customers and investors, especially for then-CEO Steve Reinemund.
Now, 24 years later, PepsiCo is evolving its identity to highlight its position as a 21st-century food and beverage company, moving beyond being solely defined by its soda offerings – a space where The Coca-Cola Company remains largely focused. The new branding replaces the customary Pepsi blues and reds wiht earthy orange (representing food), blue (for hydration), and green (for sustainability).
The visual shift reflects a broader message: PepsiCo encompasses the entire journey “from agriculture to bottle, snacks to beverages, functional nutrition to indulgence.” This is symbolized by a lowercase “p” surrounded by icons representing grains, water, and leaves, culminating in a visual “smile.” The new tagline, “Food.Drinks. Smiles.” reinforces this message.
Beardwood highlights the internal impact of the rebrand, noting it’s a “pride play” for PepsiCo’s 300,000 employees across 500+ brands. The new identity aims to foster a sense of belonging to a diversified portfolio company with a presence in every daypart and occasion. It also signals the company’s alignment with evolving consumer preferences towards health, wellness, functionality, and sustainability.
Externally, the rebrand serves as a “conversation starter” for retail customers, showcasing the breadth of PepsiCo’s offerings across the entire store.For investors, it visually reinforces the company’s resilient and diversified buisness model, contrasting with Coca-Cola’s continued reliance on soft drinks. The emphasis on sustainability, agriculture, and health aims to reassure investors of the company’s responsiveness to shifting consumer spending patterns.
Beardwood concludes that while the 2001 globe communicated global scale and power, the 2025 identity effectively communicates portfolio breadth and strategic foresight. The rebrand isn’t about direct competition with Coca-cola at the point of sale,but about fostering internal pride,demonstrating a comprehensive retail solution,and solidifying investor confidence in the diversification strategy.
Notably, Marco Escalante, the young Mexican designer who originally crafted the PepsiCo globe logo at Landor in 2001, is now a corporate Design Lead at PepsiCo, bringing the story full circle.
