Case Study China: Pepsi
- Ann Desseyn
- Jul 15
- 1 min read
As Pepsi expanded internationally, its slogan "Come Alive! You're in the Pepsi Generation" became one of its best-known marketing campaigns.
In China, the slogan became famous for being interpreted as implying that Pepsi could bring ancestors back from the dead.
Whether apocryphal or exaggerated over time, the case has become a classic example of the risks associated with international marketing when communication is not adequately validated across cultures.
From an MC³ diagnostic perspective, the business risk was not the slogan itself.
An MC³ diagnostic would examine:
Was the intended business message interpreted consistently within the local cultural context?
Were cultural assumptions tested before the campaign launch?
Did communication controls identify potential risks before implementation?
Could leadership have reduced commercial risk through stronger multilingual communication governance?
The objective is not to identify a marketing mistake. It is to determine whether multilingual communication controls are robust enough to prevent financial and reputational risk before international campaigns are launched.
Following diagnosis, MC³ strengthens multilingual communication controls, helping organisations reduce communication risk, protect brand value and improve international decision-making.
The next question I would ask is:
How does your organisation verify that its message creates the intended business impact in every international market?
