VIDEO: Brad Jakeman, The Man Behind PepsiCo’s Digital Culture

Brad Jakeman, president of PepsiCo Global Beverage Group, has been titled “Ad Person of the Year 2015” by The Advertising Club of New York for his ability to build powerful brands through innovative, creative and consumer-centric programs.

Jakeman joined PepsiCo in July 2011 and has been focused on adding new capabilities to drive the conglomerate’s marketing success, which includes an internal design team he assembled two years ago.

“We didn’t just want to build a digital department. We wanted to build a digital culture,” Jakeman tells ClickZ.

Creativity and analytics are two main focuses in PepsiCo’s digital culture. Back in 2012, Jakeman and his team created the company’s first-ever global marketing campaign “Live For Now,” using these principles as the backbone of the inititaive. After an initial nine-month intensive consumer research project carried out across a variety of markets, the campaign is still live today and dubbed the “central governing idea for the brand globally” and “the way Pepsi behaves as a brand.”

“Before Live for Now, Pepsi never had a consistent voice around the world. So we wanted to figure out what is the one thing that is unique to Pepsi and distinguishes us from other cola brands,” Jakeman says. “What we found is Pepsi as a brand is all about making every moment in life count. Pepsi is not a brand that looks back – it’s a brand that sparks the excitement now.”

Jakeman’s marketing experience is not limited to the beverage industry. Prior to PepsiCo, he served as chief marketing officer of Activision Blizzard, the world’s largest videogame and interactive entertainment company. He also held senior marketing roles at Macy’s and Citibank.

What has Jakeman done to drive PepsiCo’s marketing success? How does Jakeman’s cross-industry marketing experience help his career at PepsiCo? Find out all the answers and more in the video below.