Last year, PepsiCo changed its corporate logo for the first time since 2001.
The refresh, however, was meant to denote more than a mere update in aesthetics.
As a press release put it: “After 25 years, PepsiCo’s corporate visual identity was ready for a reset — not to chase trends, but to reflect a company that has fundamentally evolved.”
Today, PepsiCo is a massive company with many moving parts. It has more than 300,000 employees around the globe and oversees more than 500 brands, from Pepsi and Gatorade to Cheetos and Doritos.
In recent years, the CPG giant has tried to centralize and simplify its business operations. At the same time, internal research showed there’s a need for more information about what the company is doing, and why, among its own workforce.
Rebekah Metts-Childers, PepsiCo’s vice president of global employee communications, shared three ways PepsiCo is breaking down complex strategy for a global employee audience. These ideas range from video series with top executives to an email for managers that earns an incredible 100% open rate.
- A video series spotlighting different executives
To meet employee demand for more information about corporate strategy, PepsiCo’s internal communications team created a monthly video series called Food for Thought. It features PepsiCo’s Head of Global Communications Chris Manzini having one-on-one discussions with the organization’s executives about a specific piece of the overall business. It’s a way to connect the big picture to everyday operations.
Metts-Childers described the series as very accessible and digestible.
In a recent episode, Manzini sat down with the head of PepsiCo’s business in Latin America to talk about the nuances of the market. Footage shows the two individuals eating some of the company’s unique products made for that specific region.
“The two real objectives are to drive confidence in the future of the company and make sure that people understand some of the strategy elements and how we’re going to achieve it,” said Metts-Childers.
Metts-Childers noted internal surveys show the series is creating more clarity on PepsiCo’s plans among its employees, as well as increased confidence in its direction.
- Centers of excellence make resources available to all
Another initiative involves breaking down silos with centers of excellence, which report to Manzini.
Metts-Childers described these units as teams of people dedicated to developing shared measurement frameworks across multiple functions, such as insights, social media and employee communications.
“They’re putting together best practices, they’re putting together shared templates, shared approaches, governance, guidance,” said Metts-Childers.
PepsiCo’s communications function includes six integrated centers of excellence, including one focused on global employee communications, which brings together more than 180 employee communications practitioners across various regions.
The reorganization has cut down on different teams overlapping or even contradicting each other’s work. The centers of excellence have also aided certain regions and markets that don’t have a department dedicated to internal comms. Now employees working in those areas have the same access to the same resources as everyone else.
“Not every market has an internal comms expert sitting in it, considering our size across the world — nor should they,” said Metts-Childers. “But we still want to be able to provide them with best practices and really high-quality communications for associates.”
- A newsletter for business leaders
A third initiative, launched in 2025, is an internal newsletter titled SMT Insider. The SMT stands for Senior Management Team, and it goes out to the company’s top 200 leaders.
SMT Insider contains a variety of data, tools and insights for leaders to share with team members wanting to know more about which direction the company is heading in and how it plans to get there.
The team publishes the newsletter once per month. According to Metts-Childers, it has an open rate of 100%, highlighting the need for such a resource.
“We give them slides around earnings, we give them materials that they can carry through, because they’re a massive part of our cascade strategy,” explained Metts-Childers.
Metts-Childers added that because of SMT Insider’s success, the internal comms team has moved away from peppering certain leaders with specific emails. Now, they can streamline their communications and just put the information in the dedicated newsletter they know the target audience is reading.
“People listen more to their managers, they go to their meetings,” said Metts-Childers. “So they can help us reinforce the messaging.”
Take these ideas
- Put a face to the strategy: A casual conversation with executives across the business can make ideas less abstract and more human.
- Create consistency: Rather than everyone doing their own thing, establish frameworks and guidelines for everyone to follow.
- Inform every audience: Keep leaders up to date with the latest data and tools, so they can share accurate and timely information with their teams.
