For decades, “soda pop” – that fizzy sweet carbonated beverage king – has ruled retail shelves, led by big-brands Pepsi and Coke. But the soft-drink landscape is changing rapidly. Today, the shelves are full of new and emerging choices, including make-it-at-home appliances. Expanding options are driving competition among beverage brands to remain relevant, innovative and authentically connected to consumers.

In the thick of this evolution, PepsiCo wanted to challenge its usual way of doing things and get closer to the future of consumer tastes that are increasingly influenced by “Makers.”

From bio-hackers and designers to scientists and artists, more than half of all Americans today identify themselves as “Makers,” an emerging community of individuals who love to create, experiment and explore. This world of open-source cultural creativity is growing rapidly as people morph from “consumers” into “producers.”

With the goal of pouring itself into a new culture of brand and consumer dynamics, PepsiCo created a unique research entertainment project – a hands-on Maker lab that provided rich insights into emerging tastes, ideas, roles, and expectations.

We brought the PepsiCo Pop-up Lab to the pre-eminent Do It Yourself (DIY) venue, Maker Faire - a “science fair meets carnival,” - offering hands-on collaboration to explore the future of soft-drink beverages, from beyond-liquid forms to edible packaging.

The experiment fueled social and PR coverage, informed the company’s “At Home DIY Beverage” strategy and created buzz in PepsiCo’s marketing and product innovation culture about new ways of seeing the business in a “Maker” world.

The PepsiCo Pop Up Lab was an immersive working DIY lab where molecular scientists met Makers to explore the possible in beverage taste and experience. Marketers, scientists and Makers probed new flavor combinations, beyond-liquid phases and sensory hacks utilizing smells, sounds and virtual reality – turning research into entertainment.

Participants first entered the “BevForum” for their opinions on beverage innovation. Qualitative insights gathered during the activation informed PepsiCo on how to authentically engage the Maker community.

In the “Lab,” Makers created custom-flavored beverages using natural juices, extracts, seasonings and herbs. They went on to explore:

Packaging concepts: synthetic and natural materials, including edible spherification, organic and ice sphere packaging.

Future of Liquid: experiencing beverages as a gas or solid, such as edible hydrogels, frozen beverage formats and cloud.

Synesthesia: how censorial cues affect the taste of identical products, using Google Cardboard (visual), headphones (audio) and aroma attachments to containers (smell).

The experience has been a game-changer for PepsiCo, delivering fresh insights and unique thinking on the future of beverages, challenging conventions within the company’s marketing culture and informing PepsiCo’s “At Home DIY Beverage” strategy. The seamless melding of content, consumer engagement and real-time product development infused the organization with fresh ideas and unleashed hundreds of new brand ambassadors.

“When the big companies want to hear from the little guys, you definitely get something that can change the industry.” (Attendee)

500+ Makers came through the Pop Up Lab, answering 1500+ quantitative surveys on the future of beverage innovation. The average wait time to get into the Lab was 50+ minutes for 2 days straight.

PepsiCo earned 53 million impressions through its NYC 2014 Maker Faire Sponsorship.

The company received five Maker Faire Editor’s Choice Ribbons from Maker Media, awarded to the activation that have demonstrated the most ingenuity, creativity and innovation.