The Poppi Vending Machine Campaign: Hate It or Love It, It's Working

The internet is buzzing about Poppi's latest marketing stunt: a TikTok-focused vending machine campaign. While some are praising the innovative approach, others are criticizing it as tone-deaf or wasteful.

But here's the truth: whether you love it or hate it, the Poppi vending machine campaign is working, and it's a masterclass in guerrilla marketing.

Poppi Gave Influencers Branded Vending Machines And The Internet Is Mad

Love it or hate it, Poppi's vending machines are all over my feed. They sent large, branded vending machines to a curated list of mega influencers this week in a tactful guerrilla marketing campaign. 

The internet is up in arms since they think Poppi should have donated these $25k machines to a school or hospital, though I disagree (that's not how guerrilla marketing works). 

@rachsullivan__ This is my Super Bowl @Drink Poppi ♬ Cannibal by Kesha - rapidsongs

What is Modern Guerrilla Marketing?

Guerrilla marketing is all about using unconventional tactics to maximize exposure, often on a smaller budget than traditional advertising. It's about creating a memorable experience that gets people talking. And that's precisely what Poppi has achieved.

I haven't been able to open up TikTok the past 24 hours and not see a video about Poppi's dang vending machines. I keep hearing their name everywhere, and that's the whole point of guerrilla marketing. 

Donating them to a school would have been a cliff note in today's news. Giving them to influencers? That's news. 

The Cost of Buzz Is Paying Off Despite The Backlash

You might be thinking, "$25,000 per vending machine? That's not cheap!" And you're right, for most of us, that's a hefty sum. But in the marketing world, for the return on investment (ROI) Poppi is seeing, it's a steal. Especailly since they're taking the machines back. 

They're not just getting millions of views on the influencer-created content; they're getting millions more from people reacting to the campaign, including articles like this one.

And instead of spending money on banner ads or even a Super Bowl ad, Poppi chose the smart move of going guerrilla. And it's working. 

The Power of Reach: Millions of Eyeballs

Influencer videos from this campaign have garnered tens of millions of views. I lost count at 20 Million when I tried to tally up the reach myself. 

And that doesn't even account for the impressions from reaction videos, articles and blog posts covering the campaign. Let's conservatively estimate that the campaign has reached at least 40 million views (though I think it's a lot more). 

Breaking Down the Numbers: A Marketing Perspective

Let's do some quick math. Let's guess that they spent $500k on influencer fees and logistics, so we're looking at a total spend of roughly half a million dollars (I like a nice, even number). 

With an estimated 40 million impressions, that translates to a $12.50 CPM (cost per mille, or cost per 1000 impressions). That's a fantastic CPM, especially considering the sheer volume of conversation and attention the campaign has generated. Poppi has effectively become the talk of TikTok.

Odds are, their CPM is actually much lower. 

@octopusslover8

not even kidding

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Oh, And Influencers Aren't Even Keeping The Machines

It's not like Poppi lost out on 20 new machines. They're taking them back to be used for other campaigns, conference events, or even to be installed at stores around the country. 

When you take that into consideration, their CPM just got a whole lot lower. Genius. 

The Tarte Comparison: All Press is Good Press

This strategy isn't new. Think of Tarte Cosmetics. People love to hate on their lavish influencer trips, but Tarte continues to do them because they work.

They get people talking, and that translates to brand awareness. In this instance, all press, even negative press, is good press.

Why Not Schools? A Strategic Decision

Some argue that Poppi should have used the campaign budget to put vending machines in schools. While a noble idea, from a marketing standpoint, it might not have been the most effective strategy.

Poppi, despite being around since 2018, is still fighting for market share. They needed a massive, attention-grabbing campaign to quickly establish themselves as a top-of-mind soda brand. And what better way to do that than to create something the internet loves to hate? Hate is a powerful driver of reach.

Donating vending machines to schools, while a positive initiative, likely wouldn't have generated the same level of buzz and ROI. It's just not as controversial or attention-grabbing.

Example: Olipop were awesome and donated cans to LAFD while they were working to put out the wildfire in LA. How do I know that? From studying this campaign and seeing Olipop mention that act of goodwill in a comment. 

Not because of news articles or influencers or people talking about this donation. This proves the argument that "Poppi should have donated their vending machines" is a bad take for a campaign. 

Love It Or Hate It, This Influencer Campaign Is Working

The Poppi vending machine campaign is a perfect example of how even negative attention can be a powerful marketing tool. It's generated massive reach, sparked conversations, and solidified Poppi's position as a trendy, talked-about brand.

So, what do you think? Is this a brilliant marketing strategy, or is Poppi playing with fire? Let me know in the comments!

@whimsyschool why Poppi is brilliant for their vending machine influencer campaign. You may hate it, but they are winning. Donating machines would have been a cliff note in the news cycle, now they are the talk of this app for multiple days. I lost count when tallying up TikTok video impressions alone at 20 million views. I'm sure they have well over 50M impressions at this point, and probably even more. Esp considering influencers aren't even keeping the machines (thank god, IDK what I would do with that lol), Poppi is getting SO MUCH reach with what really isn't that big of a budget. Doesn't matter if you hate Poppi or love their soda, you can't deny this campaign did exactly what it was designed to do. #poppi #influencer #influencermarketing #marketing #olipop #poppivendingmachine @#PoppiPower ♬ original sound - Kara | Whimsy School