Brands everywhere are using Instagram as a place to connect with their community, be a part of culture and express their creativity. In today’s shifting marketing landscape where these are becoming key drivers of success, more brands are turning to Instagram as a place for smart business. This story is the first in the series where we'll share stories on how brands are doing it right and taking advantage of these Instagram superpowers to make the most of their campaigns. Starting off our series, we’re taking a look into how PepsiCo finds success on Instagram.

PepsiCo uses Instagram to get to know their community in order to create content that resonates and inspires. Engaging with their community allows them to better understand their customers in order to optimize their marketing and take action to improve on their success. “The most interesting thing for us is to be able to watch in real time how you're building this,” Daniela says. “During the campaign you create new things because the users help you a lot by providing feedback.” When they’re building out campaigns they’re also building relationships. Whether they’re talking to the LGBTQ+ community for Doritos or soccer fans for Lays, Instagram helps PepsiCo foster connections with their fans in a way that’s relevant to them.

Brands can use Instagram to reflect on cultural moments, to connect with what's going on in the world and to be the catalyst of new movements or moments. For one of PepsiCo’s brands, Doritos, Instagram has changed the way they approach business. “Doritos is 100% digital and 120% Instagram,” says Daniela Cachich, VP Marketing at PepsiCo Brazil Foods. “Everything starts with the idea of how we're going to be able to tell a story through Instagram.“ Whether it's about content or a brand experience, for PepsiCo it has to be Instagram-worthy. “What we are thinking is: How can we deliver the best experience to consumers via Instagram. That completely changes everything we do.”

Turning Chester Cheetah into an Instagram creator is just one of the inventive ways PepsiCo uses Instagram. PepsiCo also takes the native formats of Instagram into consideration; the brand has gone vertical in building for stories. “I no longer see things in a horizontal way. It's a huge change that affects everything in terms of brand building,” she says. As the official snack of big music festivals, Doritos captures all of their coverage with stories. Interactive stickers in Instagram Stories allow people to participate and give feedback with what brands are posting. “It is no longer a monologue, it's a dialogue.”

From twice the retention rate compared to other platforms to double-digit market share growth, PepsiCo continues to see exciting results on Instagram. “We talk about [ROI] all the time and I think [Instagram] gives you the opportunity to easily track practically every metric,“ she says. ”We are shown ad recall levels and even purchase intention levels. It provides us with reports that show us how much business returns we are getting from our Instagram investment.“ Consistency of their investments, feedback and use on Instagram helps them bag up results in the short, medium and long term.

Check out the full video with PepsiCo’s VP Marketing Daniela Cachich below.