When I first saw this Pepsi ad in The New York Times I felt good about the direction the new Pepsi branding was taking. It felt fresh, fun, optimistic, uncomplicated. It was timely and seemed to be hitting the right cords.

Then I saw the packaging in a supermarket.  

The freshness and excitement of the Pepsi branding ads are missing from the package

A you can see the package looks rather stark. Some have called it minimalistic, even cheap looking. I know it’s Pepsi because of the circle with the  red, white and blue brand colors but again, what is the brand message I’m supposed to get? In my opinion the new color fields within the circle don’t have any clear meaning or project any particular feeling. Is it a smile a la Amazon or a boat’s sail? The new logo type is clean and a bit trendy in style but this can also be a liability and make the brand feel outdated in a couple of years.

I’m staring at the packaging and these visual cues aren’t telling me much. 

Pepsi profits went down 43% in the fourth quarter. Pepsi says it’s the economy could the new brand look have something to do with it?

To make things worse, as reported by Advertising Age, a brand document from the Arnell Group, the agency that created the logo, presents the design strategy as “breathtaking”. Some in Madison avenue, the design world and beyond don’t agree, to say it kindly.

We all know how tough it must be getting an iconic brand logo approved through the layers of corporate bureaucracy but still it’s a pity when you look at the new Pepsi logo thinking about the many millions spent on its rebranding and how little it speaks to you.

I’m sure Pepsi takes its branding seriously, but looking at this fiasco you wonder if they are serious enough.