Poppi Hired Culture Lead to Expand Influencer Strategy
The soda brand has appointed a new executive to formalize its influencer-led marketing as U.S. spending in the sector hits record highs.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Marketing
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Poppi has appointed Sophia Sesto as vice president of culture to spearhead its influencer marketing efforts. This leadership change follows a broader strategy of using creator-driven content to maintain brand visibility, a segment projected to reach over $44 billion in U.S. spending in 2026.
Why it matters
By formalizing its culture and influencer department, Poppi is institutionalizing an always-on marketing model that has already generated over 212 million views. The move highlights the shift toward manual, trend-responsive creator partnerships as a primary vehicle for growth for consumer brands.
U.S. influencer marketing spending is projected to exceed $44 billion in 2026, while Poppi's internal content efforts have already produced over 212 million views. These figures come after PepsiCo acquired the brand in 2025 for an approximate price of $2 billion.
The players
Poppi
A beverage company known for its prebiotic sodas, now operating as a subsidiary of PepsiCo.
Sophia Sesto
The newly appointed vice president of culture tasked with leading Poppi's influencer marketing operations.
PepsiCo
A global food and beverage corporation that operates a massive portfolio of snack and soda brands.
Amaya Espinal
A reality television personality who has partnered with Poppi for limited-edition product campaigns.
Alix Earle
A social media content creator and investor who began working with Poppi in 2024.
The details
Poppi manages its influencer ecosystem through an internal Microsoft Teams channel called Seed, where staff monitor trends and identify potential content creators. The brand prioritizes organic reach by sending products to influencers without formal requirements, encouraging authentic posts. This operational approach scales through limited-edition product drops like the Amaya's Island Colada, which coordinates social media campaigns with retail availability at outlets like Target and on Amazon.
Timeline
2024: Poppi worked with Alix Earle at Coachella.
July 2025: The brand launched its Amaya Papaya social campaign.
2025: PepsiCo acquired Poppi.
End of 2025: The company introduced its Shirley Temple flavor.
October 2026: The brand launched the Amaya's Island Colada flavor.
Market Landscape
Poppi's move to create a dedicated leadership role for culture reflects the massive $44 billion shift in U.S. influencer marketing spending projected for 2026. This strategy follows a pattern of high-growth consumer brands transitioning from experimental social campaigns to institutionalized, data-driven creator programs.
Operators should evaluate whether their social media presence relies on sporadic posts or an institutionalized, 'always-on' process like Poppi's Seed channel. High-growth brands should weigh the benefit of dedicating internal headcount to influencer relations to ensure organic growth aligns with retail availability at partners like Target.
The takeaway
Effective influencer marketing now requires consistent internal infrastructure rather than just one-off viral moments. Managers should track the conversion of organic social views into measurable retail sales to determine if similar internal culture-focused roles are justified for their own operations.
Further reading
For more on evolving consumer engagement strategies, visit our Marketing section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Business Insider.
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