Pepsi moments don’t wait—and neither do we: Cathy Graham Kidd

As temperatures soar and the summer sun shows no mercy, nothing hits the spot quite like an ice-cold sip of one’s favourite fizzy drink. And as consumers reach for refreshment, the cola giants are turning up the heat—both on the thermometer and in their marketing playbooks.

Coca-Cola India fired the first shot with its ‘Halftime’ campaign during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final match. Conceptualised by VML Delhi and helmed by Dibakar Banerjee, it invited fans to pause, reset, and recharge—because, why wait until full-time for a sip of Coke?

Pepsi, never one to sit on the sidelines, volleyed back with its own take—'Anytime is Pepsi Time’ earlier this month. The message? Forget waiting for halftime, a Pepsi moment can strike whenever. A digital-first blitz campaign, amplified by a bold newspaper splash and other brands joining the buzz, reignited the cola wars.

Cathy Graham Kidd has been at the heart of this marketing banter at PepsiCo. She has spent over two decades shaping consumer marketing strategies at FMCG giants like Kerry Foods, General Mills, and Mondelez. Since joining PepsiCo in 2019, she has played a crucial role in driving the brand’s evolution, taking over as senior brand director six months ago.

In an exclusive interview with Campaign India, Kidd delves into the company’s global brand philosophy, its India-specific marketing plays, and the resurgence of cola wars in the country’s INR 1.37 lakh crore market. She also sheds light on Pepsi’s agile and culturally attuned approach, the strategic balance between digital and traditional media, and the unexpected virality of the ‘Anytime is Pepsi Time’ campaign.

Here are the edited excerpts of the interview:

Looking at the global brand playbook, which campaigns have left a lasting impression on you, both professionally and personally?

I've been in the business for six years and in my current role for six months. I’ve witnessed Pepsi’s evolution, and it has been a privilege to see the brand go from strength to strength. A defining moment was our 2024 global brand refresh—a celebration of Pepsi’s iconic redesign, blending heritage with contemporary appeal. It was a true ‘firework’ moment, rolled out across markets with massive cultural impact.

Beyond Pepsi, I must applaud my colleagues at Lay’s. Their ‘No Lay’s, No Game’ campaign has been a masterclass in integrating brand love with sporting moments.

Pepsi’s 2024 rebrand emphasised cultural relevance and localisation. How are you refining your media strategy across TV, social, and creative collaborations to deepen engagement? And how do retail media networks play into this?

Our overarching brand idea, Thirsty for More, is designed to be expansive and adaptable, enabling us to infuse local cultural relevance seamlessly. This philosophy ensures that we don’t just react to cultural moments—we create them. It allows us to flex our campaigns to fit different markets while maintaining a distinctively Pepsi identity.

Retail media networks are a crucial part of this, enabling us to measure impact with greater precision. With consumers engaging with brands at multiple touchpoints, leveraging first-party data helps us optimise performance in real-time. Our approach combines cultural influence, emotional resonance, and performance marketing to deliver meaningful engagement.

With performance marketing facing scrutiny for its complexity and diminishing returns, how is Pepsi recalibrating its brand-building strategy post-refresh?

First and foremost, our approach isn’t just consumer-centric; it’s human-centric. Thirsty for More is a powerful, long-standing idea that ensures our campaigns resonate deeply.

Our ‘globally aligned, locally designed’ strategy enables us to balance performance marketing with high-impact cultural storytelling. For example, when we launched the Pepsi Titan Project (the company’s first logo and visual identity refresh in 14 years) it wasn’t about performance marketing alone. Taking over massive buildings and cultural moments was about creating conversations, not just targeting consumers. This blend of human insight and strategic brand execution is our North Star.

With Coke’s halftime campaign positioning the break as the perfect refreshment moment and Pepsi countering with ‘Anytime is Pepsi Time,’ are we witnessing a resurgence of the classic cola wars in India?

We’ve always had a challenger spirit, and ‘Anytime is Pepsi Time’ is rooted in our human-centric philosophy. Our insights show that consumers crave small moments of enjoyment, and Pepsi makes those moments special.

Every summer, we aim to be the defining brand of refreshment, and this season was no different. Our long history of sports associations and our legacy of the Pepsi Taste Challenge make playfulness and bold storytelling part of our DNA. While there may be brand rivalries, this campaign was about creating fun, cultural conversations in a way that is uniquely Pepsi.

With summer and a two-month IPL season ahead, how did Pepsi craft ‘Anytime is Pepsi Time’ in just a week—not just as a counter to Coke, but as a way to reimagine humour, fun, and reignite cola conversations?

This campaign highlighted how any moment can be made more special with a Pepsi. The execution was clever, not just in timing but in approach. The Times of India masthead takeover blended traditional media with digital virality, sparking widespread conversation.

We’ve always been a timely brand—the voice of the next generation. Our ‘globally aligned, locally designed’ model ensures we remain culturally relevant. This campaign exemplified that philosophy, driving positive sentiment and engagement far beyond India.

Brands like Snickers, Britannia, and Taco Bell joined the campaign wave. Was this orchestrated, or did it organically go viral? How did Pepsi ensure these activations amplified rather than overshadowed the campaign?

Sometimes, a spark ignites a larger cultural conversation. It’s exciting to see brands becoming more agile, jumping on moments like this in a fun and playful way.

We had no concerns about other brands joining in—if anything, it validated the strength of the campaign. The takeaway here is that brands must be agile enough to react to these cultural waves in real-time. The responsiveness of agencies and brands today is crucial in shaping these organic viral moments.

Flattery, engagement, and movement marketing are great, but numbers tell the real story. Can you share key metrics that highlight the campaign’s performance in India and beyond?

While I won’t disclose specific figures, I can say that sentiment is a critical measure for us. Over 95% of the conversations surrounding the campaign were positive, which is phenomenal. Additionally, we’ve seen the campaign being picked up beyond India, signalling the broader relevance of the idea.

It reinforces the insight that consumers crave anytime refreshment moments, and the campaign successfully tapped into that universal behaviour.

Marketing success isn’t just about great ideas but also smart execution. What was Pepsi’s investment in this campaign, and how did you balance digital with traditional media like Times of India?

One of the smartest aspects of this campaign was its media mix. The Times of India masthead takeover was a strategic way to spark conversation at scale. Traditional media helped us reach the masses, while digital amplified and sustained engagement.

Understanding the media landscape is crucial. Digital is a significant area of investment, but sometimes, taking a slightly unconventional approach can drive the best results. This campaign exemplified that.

Given Pepsi’s cultural relevance in APAC and parts of England, and the success of ‘Anytime is Pepsi Time’ in India, do you plan to extend it to other markets?

Pepsi has a rich history in sporting moments, particularly football, and we’ll continue focusing on sports associations where they make sense. This summer, our focus will be on football, ensuring Pepsi remains embedded in the biggest cultural and sporting occasions.

Rather than exporting the campaign as-is, we will take the learnings and apply them in a locally relevant way where appropriate. Our ‘globally aligned, locally designed’ approach ensures each market gets what resonates best.

With the cricket season and summer approaching, what creative plays can India expect from Pepsi in the coming months?

You can expect more such moments throughout the summer. Our goal is to continue sparking conversations in a way that is relevant, timely, and distinctly Pepsi. India’s summer is just beginning, and we are committed to embedding Pepsi into the heart of those shared moments of enjoyment.