Dive Brief:
- PepsiCo's Tropicana orange juice brand is extending its reach beyond consumers' breakfast glasses and into inspirational content through a partnership with APlus.com, according to a news release.
- A Plus, a "positive journalism" site co-founded by actor and investor Ashton Kutcher, aims to help consumers start the day with optimism via the site's first custom-built morning-specific section, "Morning Spark."
- Tropicana's sponsored morning segment will feature "native video and editorial content on the site's digital, social and mobile-first platforms that reach millions of people worldwide," according to the news release.
Dive Insight:
As a brand, Tropicana has taken a hit in recent years from the plethora of new cold-pressed juices to hit the market, including a line from fellow PepsiCo juice brand Naked. Tropicana has worked to stay on trend by debuting a non-GMO label for several varieties and introducing new line Tropicana Essentials Probiotics.
But despite these efforts, the orange juice category as a whole has declined along with other traditionally sugary beverages like soda. Orange juice sales declined 13% in the past four years, according to Nielsen data.
With this content-focused partnership, Tropicana is finding another way to be an essential part of consumers' morning and breakfast routines. Aligning the brand with "positive journalism," particularly in a time of nationwide tension, could be a wise move for PepsiCo as it attempts to combat sagging juice sales.
Morning Spark will run every day from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. for six weeks, alongside distribution across all digital and social platforms.