Eric Melis, VP of Global Brand Marketing at PepsiCo, shares why now is the best time to be in marketing, how brands are getting more human-centric, and the power of consistency in audience connection, in this week's partner podcast Shiny New Object.

Eric Melis is the Vice President of Global Brand Marketing for Pepsi, 7UP, Mountain Dew and Mirinda. He leads brand strategy and positioning, as well as global campaigns, and focuses on finding the intersection of passion points for consumers and capitalising on them to succeed in data driven marketing.

A big part of the successful and enduring marketing success of a brand like Pepsi is its strong association with music and football - two key passion points for its consumers. “Consistency pays off” for brand building, as Pepsi has always had coherent campaigns at local and global levels around these two interests.

This is why Eric’s shiny new object is the intersection of passion points. He thinks there’s never been a better time to be in marketing as brands increasingly focus on consumers and curious marketers can identify the passions that will help consumers connect with their brands.

“This is an era where brands either solve or aim at solving consumer problems”, Eric says. Delivering experiences and partnerships that show consumers that you understand them and their interests is what can differentiate your brand from competitors, regardless of your industry.

Eric also warns against seeking perfection in campaigns. Instead, aim for progress and testing, so you can get more insights and improve your consumer connections. Find out more on how he does that on the podcast.

The host of the Shiny New Object podcast is Tom Ollerton, founder of Automated Creative.