Pepsi started a promotion on Thursday that encourages people to try the combo and use the hashtag #PilkandCookies (as in Pepsi plus milk) to exhibit their Santa-friendly concoctions. The campaign will run through December 24. Those who take part in the online challenge that will be running until Christmas Day will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win cash prizes.
“Combining Pepsi with milk has long been a hidden hack among Pepsi lovers,” said Todd Kaplan, Pepsi’s chief marketing officer, in a statement about the campaign. “Combining Pepsi and milk has long been a secret hack among Pepsi fans.”
Pepsi is now promoting the cocktail as its own unique take on the popular TikTok craze known as “dirty soda,” which consists of combining soda with syrup and cream. Companies such as PepsiCo pay attention to what is going on on TikTok, and they frequently search for ways to join in on trends as a way to ensure that they continue to be relevant to young consumers.
“With the rise of the ‘dirty soda’ trend on TikTok and throughout the country, we thought Pilk and Cookies would be a great way to unapologetically celebrate the holidays,” said Kaplan. “With the rise of the ‘dirty soda’ trend on TikTok and throughout the country, we thought Pilk and Cookies would be a great way to una
Pepsi wanted to make the campaign even more popular, so they recruited Lindsay Lohan, who stars in the Christmas movie “Falling for Christmas” that is available on Netflix, to promote the combo.
Pepsi is attempting to create its own viral combination, so the company is providing a variety of recipe suggestions for anyone who want to expand their options beyond just mixing Pepsi with milk.
Some of these recipes include the Naughty & Ice, which combines Pepsi with one cup of whole milk, one tablespoon of heavy cream and one tablespoon of vanilla cream in addition to Pepsi; the Cherry on Top, which combines Pepsi Wild Cherry with half a cup of 2% milk, two tablespoons of heavy cream, and two tablespoons of caramel creamer; and the Snow Fl(oat), which combines Pepsi Zero Sugar and half a cup of oat milk
TikTok trends
The soda cocktails are relatively new to TikTok, but they have been popular in Utah for years. Utah has a significant proportion of Mormons, and some members of this religious group refrain from alcoholic beverages as well as hot beverages.
TikTok found out about the beverage after the Gen Z pop diva Olivia Rodrigo shared a photo of herself holding a Swig cup in December of the previous year. The image sent people searching for information about the Utah-based brand. Swig, which has been in business since 2010 and proclaims to be “home of the original dirty soda,” provides a wide variety of carbonated mash-ups and calls itself “home of the original dirty soda.”
According to a report published in April by Eater, the trend gained momentum very quickly. The article stated that “TikTok is now replete with more than 700,000 mentions of the #dirtysoda hashtag,” the majority of which accompany videos of creators showing viewers how to make their own dirty sodas at home.
Corporations have been motivated to capitalise on culinary trends by viral food sensations. Sometimes, these companies even create new goods based on what they see in the market.
For example, in September 2020, Dunkin’ Donuts collaborated with the popular TikTok star Charli D’Amelio to create a limited-time beverage called The Charli. This drink consisted of cold brew with whole milk and three pumps of caramel swirl, and it was modelled after D’Amelio’s preferred beverage order. On the day the app was launched, Dunkin’ Donuts broke their own record for the number of daily active app users. And during the course of the previous year, Starbucks conducted several tests about the viability of selling the popular Iced Matcha Latte with Chai on social media sites.
This year, Kraft Heinz introduced a new product called Dip & Crunch, which is a dipping sauce for burgers that comes packaged with “salty potato crunchers.” People are supposed to start by dipping a burger or sandwich into the sauce, then into the crunchers, and finally take a bite off of it. This is something that has supposedly been popular on TikTok, with some users praising the fad while others questioned it.
