paidContent - Pepsi's New 'Inspirational' Social Network Targets African-American Moms

• By Tameka Kee
• On 7:05 pm EDT, Monday September 21, 2009

Big brands, for the most part, have moved away from the idea of pouring resources into custom social networks and online properties, choosing instead to use low-cost (and free) options like Facebook and Ning to grow their communities. But not Pepsi, which is launching Pepsiweinspire.com, an online property geared toward African-American moms. The site will feature a mix of inspirational user-generated and celebrity content, with the requisite Facebook and Twitter feeds; Brandweek also reports that it will serve as the launchpad for Pepsi's African-American marketing campaigns for the coming year.

Pepsi is promoting the site with Facebook ads featuring stars like Benjamin Button's Taraji P. Henson, and will roll out a full roster of print, TV and interactive campaigns. The initiative puts a much-needed minority focus on the moms-in-social-media trend. As Lynne Johnson, the ARF's SVP of social media, told Brandweek: "There are no social networks aimed at African-American moms, at least from what I've seen." It's also a sign that the saturated mommy-blogger market can gain freshness through more niche targeting overall; Meredith (NYSE: MDP - News), for example, is launching Momster, a social net aimed at "hipster" moms, and Recipe.com, for female foodies (per Mediaweek).

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