Will Pepsi’s skinny can connect with customers?

Pepsi, recently unveiled a new design for their Diet Pepsi Cola, which will be made available to customers in March. The new design was presented at New York’s fashion week. Pepsi explains their new design concept as “a slim attractive can” made in the “celebration of beautiful, confident women.” However, many are finding the new can design problematic. NEDA, the National Eating Disorder Association, has publicly denounced the new design and brand positioning created by Pepsi that “skinny is better.”

Perhaps, the positioning of Pepsi’s product at Fashion Week was slightly shortsighted, but its interesting to see a number of Pepsi’s advertising efforts coming under fire. After the Super Bowl, the popular PepsiMax commercial featuring an African American couple has been criticized as perpetuating the “Angry Black Woman” stereotype. To me, it’s interesting that the public is split on this issue: whether it was just a funny commercial vs. a problematic racially insensitive piece.

Overall, when Pepsi debuts its new can in March…I think most customers will ask: Does a skinner can mean less soda? the answer? No.