The uber-Instagrammable brand already had the backing of some famous names – Post Malone, Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner and Billie Eilish, according to its website – but pre-Super Bowl, the team wanted to tap into the influencer market to promote the ad.
So what did they do? The brand sent out full-size vending machines packed with Poppi products to 32 US influencers. And while this might not seem like a huge deal, the internet’s response was… as you’d expect?
As the influencers began posting with their new machines, the comments became flooded with backlash. People were calling out the insensitivity, with Poppi sending out expensive vending machines to influencers who could assumably afford to buy these drinks themselves.
Instead, commenters wanted to see Poppi send them to schools, universities or hospitals, where the free drinks could be much more beneficial, and it wasn’t long before Poppi was branded “out of touch”.
Rival drink brand Olipop quickly joined the conversation, stating that these machines cost around $25,000 – so if true, Poppi forked out $800,000 only for it to blow up in its faces.
But did it? Views of the influencer videos were in the millions, and Poppi was the drink brand on everyone’s lips. There were so many TikTok videos uploaded of people discussing the controversy and everyone was talking about them – good or bad.
Was this campaign a great idea? Yes and no. Poppi achieved its goal of getting people talking and promoting the Super Bowl ad. But the truth is, people are becoming wiser to seeing large scale influencers churning out product promotion to the highest bidder.
There’s a widespread shift towards micro-influencers and community-led influence, promoting products through people who reflect your brand’s audience, rather than using someone who just “has over a million followers”.
But whilst this influencer strategy didn’t quite ‘pop off’ for Poppi, it’s also worth noting the success of the brand’s simple yet striking Super Bowl ad and how well the team prepared for its success.
After the launch of the ad, Poppi saw Google searches skyrocket 100x, social engagement soar by 250%, and TikTok followers jump 70% – its $8 million half-time slot featuring Alix Earle earned the highest impact score (25) on YouGov.
Some might say the hype will fizzle out, but Poppi played the long game.
Before the Super Bowl even kicked off, the brand built momentum with giveaways, influencer teasers and game-day buzz, including a pap snap of Eagles player Saquon Barkley casually holding a can of Poppi to hint at his game-day prep.
To convert curiosity into clicks, Poppi designed a high-impact homepage with game-day banners and exclusive competitions.
On socials, its influencer army kept the conversation flowing, with Alix Earle sharing behind-the-scenes content with her 7M fans – Poppi content is still flooding the feed, even two weeks after game day.
A winning digital play is about being everywhere. Poppi ran channel-specific giveaways, from Instagram exclusives to a Super Bowl 2026 contest, hired big names with big followings and solved a classic consumer problem in the TV ad.
To execute a 360 campaign, you have to consider the past, present and future. How do you grab someone’s attention with an eye-catching campaign and not create a seamless transition from interest to conversion?
Whilst this campaign has truly been a game of two halves, it’s a great example of how important it is to be in tune with your customer. Whilst Poppi’s influencer strategy didn’t quite score top marks from us, it shows just how clued up today’s social media users are, wanting to invest in brands they can truly relate to.
And that’s where we can help. From creating stand-out influencer partnerships to 360 campaigns, we can be here to support you and your business across all your marketing efforts.
So, let’s chat! Get in touch with us to discuss your next project here