Tropicana leans into (and also pushes back against) AI fervor in new marketing stunt
Emphasizing its distaste for all things artificial, the orange juice brand is releasing its limited-edition ‘Tropcn’ products this week at CES in Las Vegas.
“Tropcn” products are available at CES and also at select Kroger-owned stores across the US for a limited time. / Tropicana
When you think about AI – as many of us have been doing a lot lately – your mind probably doesn’t conjure up mental images of OJ.
Nonetheless, orange juice brand Tropicana has become the latest brand to try to wedge itself into the increasingly crowded AI-powered marketing bandwagon.
But in contrast to some of the other food and beverage brands – such as Coke and Doritos – that have explicitly leveraged AI in their marketing efforts, Tropicana has gone in the diametrically opposite direction, underscoring its opposition to the artificiality of all varieties by removing the ’a’ and the two ’i’s from its logo, leaving only a phonetically awkward ’Tropcn.’
A press release issued today by Tropicana reads as if the brand is lamenting the embrace of AI across popular culture – a trend that’s accelerated over the past year since popular AI products like ChatGPT have redefined the role and future potential of the technology in many people’s minds. “Each week, there seems to be a new development in artificial intelligence,” the brand wrote. “Each new AI advancement seemingly brings us closer to the artificial world and further from the natural.”
The limited-edition ’Trpcn’ bottles are being distributed on-site this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the world’s largest annual tech event, which is expected to be dominated in large measure this year by AI-powered products and conversations about AI.
“While AI has its role in the world, Tropicana believes there’s no place for artificial in orange juice,” Julia Low, Tropicana’s head of integrated marketing communications, told The Drum. “That’s why we’ve come to the largest national stage for AI, CES 2024, to remind consumers that there’s nothing artificial about our all-natural 100% orange juice.“
The brand has also distributed bottles in participating Kroger-owned stores across the United States; each bottle comes with a QR code that can be scanned for a chance to win a trip to Florida, a state famous for its orange farming industry.
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Orange juice, rich in vitamin C, was once popularly viewed as a go-to health drink by many Americans, but its popularity has generally subsided in recent years amid an influx of low-sugar and sugar-free brands and products in the beverage market.
PepsiCo acquired Tropicana in 1998, then sold the brand in 2021– following a short-lived spike in OJ sales during the pandemic – to private equity firm PAI Partners. PepsiCo’s other former juice subsidiary, Naked, was also included in the deal, which carried a reported value of $3.3bn.
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