Poppi soda slammed for out of touch influencer stunt: Definitely not buying another one

Fans are shocked by Poppi’s soda-city.Prebiotic soda brand Poppi’s Super Bowl LIX ad campaign has caused controversy to fizz on TikTok.The ad, “Soda Thoughts,” starred influencers such as Alix Earle, Jake Shane and Rob Rausch, and though the ad itself was a hit, the marketing campaign leading up to it faced a lot of backlash.Prior to the debut of the ad on Feb.9, Poppi sent huge branded vending machines to 32 influencers, including Rachel Sullivan, Kaeli Mae, Rachel Gaede, Avery Woods, Emilie Kiser and Vidya Gopalan.Part of the campaign saw these influencers posting videos featuring the massive gift on TikTok, which garnered millions of views, but the reaction from the general public wasn’t so sparkling.“Seeing these influencers get these Poppi vending machines just makes me never want to buy a Poppi ever again,” one user said in a video.

“To me, it missed the mark.”“They should’ve gave those to college dorm rooms, or athletic departments, I’m definitely not buying another one,” someone commented.“I literally asked Poppi to send it to schools for students to enjoy for a week instead and they *ignored me* (as usual),” another shared.“It blows me that brand STILL dont understand that consumers dont wanna see already wealthy influencers get these insane trips/pr packages it would do them better to give to smaller creators,” one chimed in.“In this economy and political climate it’s sooooo out of touch … genuinely blown away on how this got approved,” a user wrote.“Yeah, it missed the mark.On another video someone suggested putting them in a group home or shelter would’ve meant a lot more, I agree!” one comment said.Another user posted a video writing, “Why couldn’t Poppi just send the vending machines to colleges, hospitals, police stations, or fire stations???? Make it make sense.”“Like an influencer having a poppi vending machine isn’t gonna make me want to drink poppi,” someone added.Many other videos talk...