PepsiCo has launched a global agency review as the food and beverage giant moves to reshape its marketing operations around artificial intelligence, data and advanced technology. The company has invited major advertising networks and management consultancies to compete for the opportunity, signalling a broader shift in how PepsiCo plans to develop and execute marketing strategies across its global business.
Rather than focusing solely on conventional creative and communications services, the review points to PepsiCo's growing interest in partners that can connect marketing capabilities with technology, data and business performance. The initiative comes as brands across the global market accelerate investments in automation, media optimisation, predictive analytics and AI generated content.
Consequently, agencies are facing increasing pressure to move beyond campaign execution and provide technology enhanced solutions that can influence wider business outcomes. Although PepsiCo has not publicly disclosed the full commercial scope of the review, the move fits into the company's broader ambition to become an "agentic AI first" enterprise.
From experimental AI to embedded intelligence
Under that strategy, PepsiCo aims to embed artificial intelligence more deeply into marketing, decision making, sales and operational processes rather than treating AI as a collection of isolated experimental projects. The company has already begun building the technological foundation for that transformation through a multi-party partnership with Google Cloud.
The collaboration is designed to deploy Gemini powered capabilities across areas including analytics, workforce productivity and go to market activities. By connecting these systems, PepsiCo is seeking to create a more integrated and responsive marketing environment in which data, technology and AI can support decisions in real time.
What this means for agencies
The agency review reflects a wider evolution in the relationship between advertising agencies and corporate technology partners. As marketing becomes increasingly dependent on data infrastructure and intelligent automation, brands are beginning to look for partners capable of linking creative thinking with technological execution.
For PepsiCo, that means the next generation of marketing support could require agencies and consultancies to work across several disciplines simultaneously, combining creativity, media, data, AI and business strategy. The development also highlights the growing importance of AI in the global marketing services industry. While agencies continue to demand distinctive creative ideas, they are increasingly looking for systems that can personalise content, improve media performance, automate processes and generate actionable insights at scale.
PepsiCo's latest move could intensify competition among global agency networks and consulting firms seeking to secure a role in the company's evolving marketing ecosystem. More broadly, the review demonstrates how the traditional boundaries between advertising, technology consulting and enterprise transformation are continuing to blur.
For marketing professionals, the takeaway is direct: the skills that matter are shifting. As PepsiCo advances its AI first agenda, the successful partners will likely need to offer a combination of creative force and the ability to convert data and artificial intelligence into measurable marketing and business outcomes. That means marketers who understand both the creative and technical sides of the discipline - and who can speak fluently about AI for Marketing - will be better positioned as brands reconfigure their agency rosters around data-driven capabilities.
Why this matters for marketing professionals
This review is a signal that AI is no longer a pilot project for major brands - it's becoming the operating system for marketing. For marketers, the practical implication is to build fluency in how AI changes media buying, content production and customer analytics, not just in theory but in daily workflow. Those who can bridge creative instincts with technical execution will be the ones agencies and brands fight to keep as the traditional agency model continues to evolve.
CMOs and marketing leaders overseeing similar transformations may find value in structured training that addresses the strategic side of AI adoption, such as an AI Learning Path for CMOs, which covers the decision-making frameworks needed when evaluating agency partners and technology investments.
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