PepsiCo’s own Sarah Robb O’Hagan, president of Gatorade and global CMO, Sports Nutrition, led some very athletic and ambitious early morning risers on a run around the San Diego marina this morning. I tagged along for the ride. Read more

PepsiCo’s Sofa Summit is back in action at this year’s BlogHer Conference, highlighting in a truly candid space, issues important to women. Our own Sarah Robb O’Hagan, president of Gatorade and global CMO, Sports Nutrition (plus mother of three and all-around rock star) sat with New York Times best-selling author Sarah Brokaw to discuss her new book and the hot topic of, well, turning 40. Read more

As I boarded my plane in New York en route to Austin for SXSW, I caught a fellow passenger out of the corner of my eye – Morgan Spurlock. He was also headed to SXSW Film for a screening of his latest movie, “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.” Whether or not you agree with Morgan’s philosophies, he is undoubtedly a respected figure in his field. And here he was going to SXSW, on my plane! Seeing such a well-known figure made me realize how SXSW really embraces both the big and little people. The conference is open to the general public (provided you are willing to shell out the registration fee), and attendees are free to roam events with the likes of global heads of communications and celebrity actors. There are start-up companies, megabrands like Pepsi MAX and individual entrepreneurs. It’s a great place to learn. PepsiCo and... Read more

On Sunday at SXSWi, Rami Jabaji from the SoBe brand team spoke to a packed room as part of the PepsiCo Future15. The panel, “How Brands Are Using Entertainment & Social Media,” included a handful of other brand representatives discussing the creative ways they engage and entertain audiences to drive the brand message home. Rami shared a few successful campaign videos that made audiences laugh while keeping in tune with the brand profile. He highlighted PepsiCo’s own Gatorade REPLAY campaign and its ability to integrate with a third party to create entertaining content. Check out the REPLAY Season 1 video. One critical point Rami noted is how subtlety can be key for brands – owning the content without explicitly dropping brand mentions in videos. As the media landscape changes, campaigns have surpassed traditional TV advertisement and jumped to viral online videos, print, radio, etc. Savvy brands are... Read more

Log in to work from a beach in Tahiti? If there is Internet access – why not? At SXSW this week, I sat in on a discussion called “Technomadism – Becoming a Technology Enabled Nomad.” The session explored the life of a technomad – someone who works entirely remotely, embracing technology and throwing conventional office life out the window. The discussion leaders, Chris Dunphy and Cherie Ve Ard, have been traveling together full-time for the past four years in an 85 square foot RV. They both have backgrounds in software development and continue their work as consultants on the road. Importantly, they are passionate about the lifestyle they lead as seasoned guides for others considering technomadism (there were many in the room!) Chris and Cherie recognize it’s a big step to make the transition to life without a home base. Among the major considerations they shared with others in... Read more

On Sept. 30, PepsiCo was at POPSCI Live, a close-up look at the future of consumer electronics, in conjunction with DigitalFlashNYC. I sat in on the New York City event where Jacob Ward, west coast bureau chief for Popular Science magazine, give a stellar talk on where technology trends are taking us. He wowed the audience with a presentation of some of the latest and greatest electronics -- it was like entering a Best Buy store in the year 2020. Gadgets ranged from 3D home TV sets and camcorders, which are just now becoming popular, to GPS alarm clocks that make sure you don’t snooze past your train stop! Read more