Pepsi’s latest initiative to support small businesses is centered around elevating local restaurants and the role they play in building connections between people in local communities.

The campaign, dubbed “Local Eats Better With Pepsi,” kicked off last month with a spotlight on the hometown restaurant of singer Kelly Rowland, which featured the celebrity paying homage to her favorite spot and encouraging restaurant regulars across the country to nominate their own local haunts.

The initiative represents Pepsi’s “huge strategic focus” on supporting small businesses this year and beyond, according to PepsiCo Global Foodservice CMO Scott Finlow. “A lot of the smaller local restaurants, SMBs in general, have gone through a lot,” Finlow said. “Post-Covid, the consumers changed. Technology has been a real disruptor in their business as well. We have a huge opportunity as we listen to our customers to help them provide better tools and services to them.”

We spoke with Finlow about the new campaign, its strategic focus and how Pepsi intends to go big with supporting local restaurants in the coming year.

New data platforms with AI capabilities are promising a greater ability to profile, segment and identify similar audiences for target marketing purposes. However, the use of AI has created concerns around compliance risk and data privacy. Here’s how marketers can continue to behave ethically amid evolving privacy regulations and an influx of new AI-assisted platforms.

Lastly, to make the case for bringing an NFL game to Ireland, Irish whiskey brand Jameson launched the “Touch Down in Ireland” campaign with a stunt at the NFL HQ in NYC, coupled with tailgating activations happening next month. Here’s a look at the activation’s touchpoints, build and experiential strategy.

Until next week,