A Pepsi Campaign Taps into Cultural Nuance to Boost Favorability

The challenge

When it comes to beverages that enhance any meal, Pepsi is legendary. But the beverage aisle is crowded, and competition is fierce, so finding new and relevant ways to connect with consumers is critical. And when it comes to the large and growing Hispanic population in the US, brands need to do more than speak the language to enter the consideration set and the conversation.

Pepsi was looking to increase brand consideration with US Hispanic consumers and families in urban and suburban areas across the Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast as well as more broadly across the country.

After seeing past success working with Studio Resonate, our in-house audio creative agency, the brand turned to the team’s multicultural expertise and insight to get Pepsi on the table with Latino audiences.

The solution

When it comes to multicultural consumers, cultural authenticity isn’t a detail—it’s the difference between resonance and rejection. To get attention and increase interest, we knew Pepsi needed to show up in mealtime moments in ways that are genuine and relatable. 

Studio Resonate offers a dedicated multicultural team, ensuring creatives with lived experience guide the process from concept, to copy, to casting, and beyond. Natalie Leal, Ricardo Ramirez Hernandez, and Manual Villages took the lead, bringing their talents to the campaign.

The insight

Hispanic consumers over-index on cultural pride—especially when it comes to food. But too often, multicultural advertising treats Latinos as a monolith. The opportunity wasn’t just to speak Spanish. It was to speak to the nuances within Latinidad.

In Latin America, many countries prepare their own interpretation of popular dishes. For example, a tamal from Colombia tastes very different from a tamal in Mexico. Other times, dishes look and taste exactly the same, but they go by a different name, like Venezuela’s pabellón criollo and Cuba’s ropa vieja.

These nuances inspire passionate debates and table-side banter—the kind that happens between families, friends, and neighbors across the country, where Latino identity expands beyond one country and into a vibrant community.

The concept

Spark the debate—then unite everyone.

The campaign featured spirited debates over Latin foods and which region makes them best, with a geo-targeted audio ad creative customized for the Latino population in each region. After adding fuel to the fire, the ads doused it with something everyone can agree on: Your favorite food merece (deserves) Pepsi.

The depth of the concept and resulting campaign came from inside the room. The team’s backgrounds represented multiple countries, allowing them to surface specific and relevant rivalries. For example, a debate between Northern Mexico’s barbacoa tacos and Mexico City’s al pastor tacos—that speaks to nuance only someone with lived experience would instinctively understand. 

The campaign

Debates are inherently conversational, making audio the perfect medium for the campaign. To bring the idea to life, Studio Resonate produced eight unique audio ads targeted to local populations to achieve maximum cultural relevance. Some rivalries were about preparation. Others were about naming rights. In two spots, the debate wasn’t even about the dish, but what you call it. Casting was equally intentional. With more than 100 Latino voice actors on Studio Resonate’s roster, producers ensured accents were authentic.

Each region featured a culturally specific debate:

• National: Tamales (Mexico vs. Colombia)

• National Holiday: Empanadas (Argentina vs. Colombia)

• Southeast: Is it called Ropa Vieja or Pabellón Criollo? (Cuba vs. Venezuela)

• Southwest: Mexico City tacos vs. Northern Mexico tacos

• Midwest: Mexican queso vs. Texan queso

• West: Mexican regional quesadilla rivalries

• Northeast: What do you call popcorn?

Audio allowed Pepsi to recreate the sound of real-life table talk: quick back-and-forth exchanges filled with pride, humor, and playful tension. Streaming audio on Pandora ensured precise geo-targeting, delivering the right rivalry to the right community. And podcast placements extended and reinforced messaging.

The results

The campaign delivered measurable brand impact for Pepsi among Hispanic audiences. Brand favorability increased +3 points among the overall audience. 1 Among adults ages 18-34, lifts were even stronger:

• +10 pts for brand favorability 1

• +4 pts for brand recommendation 1

The campaign also won some awards for Studio Resonate, including a Platinum Muse Award and an ANA Multicultural Excellence Award.

The takeaway

When you honor nuance, you earn connection. Many multicultural campaigns aim for broad relatability. This one went narrow—and won. Instead of trying to appeal to US Hispanic Americans as a monolith, the creative celebrated country-of-origin pride and the moments that matter at the dinner table, leading audiences to conclude: No matter where you’re from, tu comida merece Pepsi.

We did it for them, we can do it for you. Let’s talk.

Check out more of Studio Resonate's work