#MixItUp With #PepsiCo At Milan Design Week

PURCHASE, N.Y., April 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- #MIXITUP – On April 12, PepsiCo unveils "Mix It Up," an immersive, interactive space dedicated to design collaborations and exhibitions by leading talent during Milan Design Week, the design industry's premier international event.

PepsiCo logo

In partnership with the company's Foodservice team, @PepsiCo_Design has collaborated with Fabio Novembre, Benjamin Hubert, Karim Rashid and other designers to showcase an interactive and engaging exhibit creating pop culture by blending creativity, design, fashion, music, sport and culinary art in unique and unexpected ways.

"Here at Milan Design Week, @PepsiCo_Design will showcase how our focus on innovation enables experiences that shape not only what is next in design, but in culture itself. PepsiCo's Mix It Up space, created in partnership with some of the world's famous designers, provides an opportunity for visitors to explore and interact with our latest brand creations. We invite everyone to capture and share their experiences on social media and join us in the co-creation of the future," said Mauro Porcini, Senior Vice President and Chief Design Officer, PepsiCo.

"Design-led innovation is helping our customers bring unexpected and elevated food and beverage experiences to consumers," said Roberto Rios, Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo Away From Home, "We are focused on creating new products and solutions that allow consumers to further explore their favorite PepsiCo brands—and to be inspired; this ultimately builds loyalty with our customers' brands and drives their growth."

The "Mix It Up" space, envisioned by Design Group Italia, showcases PepsiCo Design's recent innovations across its leading brand portfolio of snacks, beverages and nutrition products - from product packaging and branding to equipment and experiences. Highlights include:

F!ZZ Bar
F!ZZ Bar, the centerpiece of "Mix It Up," will offer an exciting variety of bespoke beverages throughout the day and night for curious and thirsty visitors. F!ZZ Bar's appearance will change throughout the day, visually marking the shift from morning to evening. Additional drinks will be made with Pepsi Spire 2.0, a digital fountain that lets consumers personalize their own refreshing beverage of choice with a variety of PepsiCo brands.

F!ZZ is a completely new brand experience that defines the future of soft drink mixology, which we call "Fizzology." It is a playful celebration of bubbles with unexpected ingredient combinations—including flavor shots, garnishes and foams—creating a fun, adventurous way for consumers to deconstruct and reconstruct soda.

Based on PepsiCo's iconic portfolio of soda brands, F!ZZ takes the bubbles out of the bottle and transforms them into an immersive adventure for all five senses. This 360-degree environment includes actual bubbles, smoke, spinning spheres, whimsical piping and vibrant glowing lights. A digital screen transforms throughout the event from day to night, animating the experimental flavors and effervescence of F!ZZ as it synchronizes with the beats played by a live DJ. All these elements come together to embody the fun spirited nature of F!ZZ, giving people a chance to 'Grab Life by the Bubbles!'

Pepsi Perfect
The future is now! PepsiCo brought a fictional cult icon to life with Pepsi Perfect to celebrate its role in the second installment of one of the most beloved trilogies in motion-picture history.

This fantastical cola, first featured in the hit 1989 film, inspired the commemorative Pepsi Perfect bottle. Approaching October 21, 2015, the date of arrival in the future from the movie's plot, PepsiCo had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to launch a product that merged science fiction with real life.

Pepsi Perfect lets consumers relive a nostalgic moment in entertainment history in a tangible way. Guests are invited to travel through time with us at the retro-futuristic café and enter the contest on social media for their own chance to win a Pepsi Perfect set and take home a piece of cinematic history.

Gatorade Innovation: Sports Fuel Personalization
Gatorade believes every athlete is unique. Gx is the next wave of sports fuel innovation, extending Gatorade beyond sports drinks and into the world of personalized sports fuel. Gatorade developed Gx - a comprehensive digital ecosystem, to provide athletes with new customized solutions to help them fuel their performance.

Gx is an in-depth, five-part system that includes athlete sweat testing, athlete-specific formulations, DrinkfinityTM Pod & Vessel patented technology, smart cap tracking technology and a hydration monitoring app. The Gatorade Sports Science Institute drew upon its deep expertise in sports nutrition and ongoing work with athletes to develop the platform.

Gatorade developed Gx to make individual fueling and hydration recommendations based on athletes' unique sweat profile and the duration intensity and temperature of the activity. Each athlete's data is accessible and trackable from any mobile device running the Gx Digital Platform. The system also allows the athletic trainer to analyze patterns in order to optimize their sports fuel recommendations.

Say It with Pepsi: PepsiMoji
In 2016, Pepsi is taking emojis offline in new and surprising ways, bringing a unique take on the global phenomenon of emojis. The PepsiCo Design & Innovation Center created hundreds of proprietary PepsiMoji designs – depicting both globally relevant and locally significant imagery – for a universal language system for the brand. PepsiMoji designs will be unleashed in more than 100 countries around the world throughout the year.

Bringing the campaign beyond packaging, a fashion collaboration with designer Jeremy Scott will be previewed for the first time in the #MixItUp space. The Pepsi x Jeremy Scott capsule collection includes emoji-inspired sunglasses to be available around the world this summer.

Building upon the PepsiCo partnership with the UEFA Champions League, Pepsi released football-inspired PepsiMoji designs, paving the road to May's UEFA Champions League Final in Milan with universal football passion.

Additionally, a partnership with renowned Italian architect and furniture designer Fabio Novembre led to the creation of an artistic expression of PepsiMoji designs for Design Pride 2016, a much-anticipated carnival meets parade event of Milan Design Week.

The Prestige Bottle, with Custom Barware designed by Karim Rashid
The sleek, modern, aluminum Prestige Bottle elevates the Pepsi occasion – across the trademark, including Pepsi, Pepsi MAX and Diet Pepsi / Pepsi Light – for special events, foodservice partners and influencers. 

Karim Rashid is one of the most prolific designers of his generation, with more than 3,000 designs in production and more than 300 awards attesting to his design legend. For "Mix It Up," Karim created bespoke barware accessories, including an ice bucket, glassware and tray, to complement the newly introduced Prestige Bottle.

Fiat Pepsi Car, designed in collaboration with Lapo Elkann's Garage Italia Customs
PepsiCo collaborated with creative entrepreneur Lapo Elkann of Garage Italia Customs to create a one-of-a-kind Fiat 500 that captures the fun, boldness and excitement that is undeniably Pepsi. The iconic Pepsi palette of blue, white and red is introduced through creative designs and placement – inside and outside of the car – for drivers who truly want to "Live for Now."

Fiat 500 thus becomes an expression of Pop inside the Pepsi world. At the same time, it re-interprets the concept of street art with a "doodle pattern" especially made by an artist for the top part of the car.

Inside, in addition to the color trimmings matching the exterior, many details strongly recall the American brand. For example, the seats are upholstered with blue leather which has been treated with a special 3D "bubble effect" quilting. The Pepsi logo is embroidered on the headrests as well as on the gear shift knob.

When a can of Pepsi is placed inside the center console, the interior of the car comes to life with an explosion of Pop colors: thanks to the Dreamlux textile that illuminates the headliner, the headrest logos and the seat piping to the rhythm of music.

Year of the Monkey Photobooth
Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with PepsiCo's successful Year of the Monkey marketing campaign from the China region through a bespoke wall space display.

In the Year of the Monkey, most brands in China celebrate the upcoming zodiac sign with a tailor-made monkey execution. This limited-edition Pepsi can and Lay's packaging celebrates the Chinese New Year by featuring an iconic monkey-face that reinterprets the legendary Monkey King story in a relevant and youthful way.

PepsiCo's "Bring Happiness Home" mini-movies for Chinese New Year have resonated deeply, going viral with more than 650 million views.

Guests are invited to join in the irreverence and fun of the Year of the Monkey by capturing a photo in our next generation photo booth to "become the monkey" and share with their own social networks, spreading the joy of Pepsi, Lay's and the Chinese New Year.

Solar Power Cart
The PepsiCo Solar Cart is a mobile vending unit that is the first of its kind—bringing mobile energy, ice-cold refreshment and delicious snacks to areas with less access to direct power sources. As an innovative industrial design concept, Solar Cart demonstrates PepsiCo's commitment to environmental sustainability.

This mobile cart provides "light at night" and electrical charging stations powered by solar energy. The vending cart was designed to meet local fabrication capabilities using readily available materials and resources with a focus on usability, safety, functionality and aesthetics. The cart was designed in a modular way so that individual elements can be replaced as needed, rather than having to replace the whole cart.

PepsiCo Solar Cart offers people affordable, attainable access to vending options — the combination of drinks plus snacks plus power — to reach customers in a whole new way.

helloGoodness™
helloGoodness™ will offer a glimpse into the future of healthier vending, and visitors will be invited to engage with the new on-screen interface, custom designed for "Mix It Up."

To celebrate PepsiCo's "better-for-you" portfolio, the helloGoodness™ platform allows health-conscious consumers to experience the breadth of PepsiCo offerings.  This helloGoodness™ non-dispensing vending prototype gives guests a preview of the exciting changes PepsiCo is bringing to the vending channel with a unit that will dispense PepsiCo's better-for-you snacks.

helloGoodness™ offers a fresh interpretation of the traditional vending experience by helping to provide the options consumers want from the brands they trust. Interactive digital equipment with helpful product information delivers a new vending experience that sets the PepsiCo product portfolio apart.

Drinkfinity
Drinkfinity is an innovative personal and portable beverage system that lets consumers create and enjoy their own beverages according to their preferences. Drinkfinity offers unlimited choices and personalization that allows people to hydrate in a completely different way: mindfully and with purpose. It's all about drinking in tune with body, mind and planet.

Revolutionary Dry & Liquid Essentials technology is what preserves the essence and freshness of every ingredient to ensure an amazing beverage experience every time. Just pop a Pod, unlock the flavors and nutrients, mix and enjoy.

The packaging of Drinkfinity revolutionizes beverage-packing technology and dramatically reduces the use of plastic and green gas emissions in transportation in comparison to ready-to-drink beverages. The portability of the Drinkfinity Pod enables this variety of options by making it easy to carry, store and use while minimizing the overall impact on the environment.

Culinary Tasting, Tea House Café and Dining as Entertainment
In the Culinary Tasting section, small bites will be offered across a variety of PepsiCo's snack categories, including Good-for-You, Better-for-You and Fun-for-You products.

The Tea House Café will showcase offerings from Pure Leaf and Lipton iced teas. Pure Leaf is a premium iced tea that starts with real tea leaves, picked at their freshest. With a brewing process that is simple and authentic, passion for realness extends to everything Pure Leaf does. Inside the Tea House, discover the enjoyment of Pure Leaf in a guided tea sommelier tasting. With bold new flavors and delicious recipes made with the world's best loose tea leaves, guests immerse themselves into the world of Pure Leaf.

Dining as Entertainment, done in collaboration with PepsiCo Creator – the marketing innovation group within the company's North America Beverages division, is an interactive experience that serves unexpected moments of entertainment aimed at elevating the art of dining. The event will come to life through cutting-edge technology such as a responsive interface "smart" table, augmented-reality elements, atomizing diffusers, 3D-printed and virtual reality food, theatrical performers and more.

Pepsi Spire Station x Benjamin Hubert
Milan Design Week attendees will have the opportunity to experience Pepsi Spire 3.0 and create their own drinks. This unit offers the most brand and flavor options of any Pepsi Spire digital fountain yet. The panels for each Pepsi Spire 3.0 have been conceived by renowned designer Benjamin Hubert.

Quaker Oats Millery Ape
Inspired by the classic Piaggio Ape car and the rich culinary history of Italy, the Quaker Oats Millery Ape (a functional, customized, compact truck) will dispense wholesome products throughout the week.

More and more, people are eating breakfast on the go, and Quaker Oats is already meeting that demand with multiple portable and ready to eat breakfast solutions. In the future world of Quaker, central "Millery" hubs will exist in major cities where oats are milled and roasted, bars are made, and recipes reimagined. It would become a central place for Apés to restock and then set off to deliver fresh Quaker products to people around the city.

We are going beyond great tasting products, inviting consumers to engage more fully with all that Quaker has to offer. In the café you will find an opportunity to relax and reconnect over a variety of delicious Quaker products.

Mix It Up
April 12 – 17, 2016
Superstudio 13
Via Privata G, Bugatti 9
Milan, Italy

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2015, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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SOURCE PepsiCo

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