PepsiCo’s Mug brand finds Gen Z sweet spot: fragrance, dogs and TikTok

• PepsiCo’s Mug Root Beer brand is targeting Gen Z holiday shoppers with a limited-edition cologne launching on social media, per information shared by the corporate.
• Daddy’s Home by Mug Root Beer cologne is being unveiled on social media today, Dec. 3, and might be available the week of Dec. 8 as a part of a $15 bundle that features a 10-pack of mini cans and can only be purchased on TikTok Shop.
• To support the launch, the brand has released a social video that spoofs mainstream cologne ads via slow-motion shots, serious gazes and “over-the-top symbolism,” in line with press details. Rounding out the hassle might be a TikTok Live hosted by the brand and content from influencers Afferdin and Elijah Yeroushalmi.

Mug’s campaign is the newest example of how Gen Z is influencing holiday marketing strategies, with an enormous give attention to social media and influencers. Mug can be capitalizing on Gen Z’s obsession with scent. In fact, 38% of household fragrance purchases are driven by Gen Z, per Circana data cited in press materials. Daddy’s Home by Mug Root Beer cologne has notes of cedar, sandalwood and – in a nod to the soft drink’s flavor – vanilla and caramel.

The root beer brand is a quickly growing a part of PepsiCo’s portfolio because of the way it has leaned into social activations around its bulldog mascot, in line with executives from the CPG giant and VaynerMedia, its social media partner, during an Advertising Week presentation this fall. The execs reported that sales are on the rise, with Mug the fastest growing brand in the foundation beer category, which they attributed partially to the brand’s social content.

The holiday effort’s give attention to TikTok Shop comes as the platform has been offering a number of incentives, resembling covering delivery costs and money rewards, to get retailers and marketers to establish shop, per Social Media Today. TikTok is looking to duplicate the success it has seen as an e-commerce platform within the local version of its app in China. The efforts appear to be working as TikTok Shop’s sales increased dramatically in Q3, and blue-chip corporations resembling Samsung US, Ralph Lauren and the Disney Store signed on prematurely of this holiday season.

Mug’s holiday push showcases one other Gen Z trend – pet ownership – by featuring dogs, including the brand’s bulldog mascot, in social media content. The brand can be creating 200 special edition fragrance bottles that include the bulldog mascot on the cap.