Innovation or Die: How Pepsi's Mark Kirkham Masters the Duality of Marketing

Welcome to this episode of the Marketing Vanguard podcast live from Cannes. Today, Jenny Rooney speaks with Mark Kirkham, CMO of PepsiCo Beverages US, about the relentless pace of innovation in the beverage category, the art of balancing core brands with new acquisitions like Poppi, and why every challenge is an opportunity. Discover how PepsiCo continues to cultivate world-class marketing talent, the role of AI in building capabilities versus outsourcing them, and why making "simple special" is the key to success

What You'll Learn:

• Why "if you're not innovating, you die" defines the beverage category and how to balance core brands with new ventures
• The secret behind PepsiCo's legendary talent cultivation system that has produced CMOs across the industry
• How to think about AI as a capability-building tool rather than outsourcing technology
• The "core and more" strategy for growing established brands while pursuing new opportunities
• Why every challenge should be viewed as an opportunity and every opportunity as a challenge

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