Poppi scales influencer marketing strategy after PepsiCo deal and UK launch

Traders Union
All News
Financial News
Poppi influencer strategy expands

Highlights

Poppi maintains a manual, culture-driven influencer marketing model despite increased competition and projected U.S. influencer spend surpassing $44 billion in 2025.
Poppi’s 'Love Island' creator activity generated over 212 million views and led to a limited-edition Amazon and Target product after viral Instagram engagement.
PepsiCo's nearly $2 billion acquisition in 2025 enables Poppi to retain its branding autonomy while supporting new partnerships, including a Starbucks deal and UK expansion.

Culture-led marketing model gains scale

As reported by Business Insider, Sophia Sesto, vice president of culture at Poppi, says the brand’s influencer strategy depends on staying closely tuned to internet culture and emerging creators. She says the search for new talent is continuous, with staff using an internal Microsoft Teams channel called "Seed" to share creators, content ideas, and possible future brand collaborations.

Sesto says the process remains highly manual, with Poppi relying on in-house judgment rather than AI tools to identify culturally relevant opportunities. That approach comes as brands are projected to spend more than $44 billion on influencer marketing in the U.S. this year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, increasing competition for attention across creator campaigns.

For Poppi, the goal is to build a model that moves at the speed of culture while still being scalable. Sesto says the brand’s "always-on influencer program" supports that strategy by keeping Poppi visible with both major personalities and a wider base of creators.

Reality TV campaigns and expansion broaden reach

One of Poppi’s strongest examples comes from its work around "Love Island," where the brand turned fan engagement into a commercial campaign. After supporting cast member Amaya Espinal with a joke "Amaya Papaya" post in July 2025, Poppi says the content became its best-performing Instagram post and later evolved into a limited-edition "Amaya’s Island Colada" flavor sold on Amazon and at Target.

The brand says its wider creator activity tied to the show generated more than 212 million views, while collaborations with personalities such as Alix Earle and partnerships such as a recent collection with Shay Mitchell’s luggage brand, Béis, have extended its visibility across entertainment and lifestyle audiences.

Poppi says new opportunities are also opening up after PepsiCo acquired the company for nearly $2 billion in 2025. Sesto says the parent company is allowing the brand to preserve its tone and operating style, while also supporting new deals including a Starbucks partnership and the company’s launch in the UK this year.

In our earlier article on the creator economy’s shifting revenue model, we explained that brand sponsorships—not platform payouts—now account for the bulk of many creators’ earnings. We also noted that agencies and professional service firms are expanding their creator-focused operations as influencer campaigns become more structured, with longer-term and multi-episode deals and a growing emphasis on performance signals like average views rather than follower counts.

This material may contain third-party opinions, none of the data and information on this webpage constitutes investment advice according to our Disclaimer. While we adhere to strict Editorial Integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners.