When an exec from PepsiCo started talking about understanding more about the brand's target consumers and its responsibility to act on that data, he summed it up by saying that it "isn't just about capturing the right people at the right time but what to do with them when you do. It reminded one of that old joke about a dog chasing a car. What is he going to do with it if he catches it?

Kevin Moeller, Head of Media Insights & Analytics, PepsiCo NA (above, left), told MediaPost's Branding Insider Summit CPG on Monday that Pepsi has a three-tiered approach to deciding what to do post-capture: to be better by building strategic capabilities; to be faster by streamlining the operating model; and to be stronger by developing talent. "We need to hold ourselves accountable to performance in market. We have new tools to supplement what our media partners have. We are streamlining the process. The fact that we are here together on stage speaks to how we've shifted that structure." 

Moeller was referring to Abhishek Jadon, Senior Director - Consumer Data and Digital Strategy, PepsiCo, who spoke about  the brand's challenges and dynamics that are not unique. PepsiCo, he said, is great in having mass manufacture, mass distribution, and mass communication.

"Our distribution channel is especially changing. Mass communications no longer have captive audience. Now, brands have to own channels. Retailers are becoming media networks and facing evolving platforms and external data restrictions. The future is something we need to create because we want to be better at targeting, creating more personalized communications, and measuring and tracking to optimize and improve."