If you’ve been living under a rock, let’s catch you up. Poppi, the Gen Z-fueled, better-for-you soda brand, found itself in a firestorm of backlash during Super Bowl week—not because of a bad ad, but because of an influencer campaign gone wrong.

The brand, known for its tagline “Soda is Back”, has been on a meteoric rise, beloved by younger consumers who crave an alternative to traditional sodas. But during one of the most scrutinized weeks in marketing, Poppi launched an ambitious influencer activation that backfired spectacularly—not just because of what they did, but because of the cultural moment they did it in.

What Happened?

Poppi gifted dozens of influencers fully stocked, unlimited vending machines of their soda, designed to generate buzz and flood social media with excitement. Instead, the internet collectively decided that Poppi had epitomized everything wrong with influencer culture and modern capitalism—handing free luxury-style perks to already wealthy influencers while everyday consumers got nothing.

Within days, the backlash was relentless, labeling the brand tone-deaf and out of touch. The narrative became: why is a “cool, relatable” soda brand giving free, unlimited products to influencers instead of rewarding the fans who actually made it successful?

But why did this seemingly standard influencer playbook go so wrong? After all, brands have been showering influencers with extravagant gifts for years. Luxury car companies hand out cars. Fashion houses gift thousands in couture. So why did Poppi’s vending machine stunt ignite such fury?

The Perfect Storm: Why Poppi’s Influencer Campaign Imploded

There wasn’t just one reason this campaign backfired—it was a confluence of cultural undercurrents that all hit at once.

1. Poppi’s Core Audience Holds Brands Accountable

Poppi built its empire on the backs of social media—particularly TikTok—where its fans are young, highly engaged, and deeply invested in brand values. This audience doesn’t just consume; they critique, scrutinize, and expect brands to align with their worldview.

Unlike luxury brands that trade on exclusivity, Poppi’s entire positioning is about authenticity and accessibility. So when it appeared to lavish influencers with excess while regular consumers got nothing, it felt like a betrayal.

The frustration wasn’t necessarily about the giveaway itself—it was about the optics of who was receiving it. Consumers didn’t want Poppi to stop gifting products—they just wanted regular people to get them too. And that’s exactly what its competitors seized on.

2. Super Bowl Scrutiny Magnified the Moment

The Super Bowl is the Hunger Games for brands. Every marketing move—good or bad—is picked apart, analyzed, and debated by millions.

During this time, brands get judged harder than ever before. It’s not just marketing professionals watching—your uncle, your neighbor, your coworker all have an opinion on Super Bowl ads and activations.

If Poppi had launched this campaign at any other time of year, it might have flown under the radar. But because it happened during the most hyper-aware moment in marketing, the backlash hit 10x harder.

3. The Cracks in Influencer Culture Are Showing

Perhaps the biggest factor was the broader discontent with influencer culture itself.

For years, influencer marketing has been a goldmine for brands, but we’ve reached a breaking point. Consumers are tired of watching wealthy influencers get richer—getting handed free luxury vacations, designer goods, and now, entire vending machines of free soda—while regular people are struggling with real-world financial pressures.

To be fair, some of the influencers who received vending machines were longtime Poppi ambassadors—people who regularly create content for the brand. But many others were lifestyle influencers with no real connection to food, health, or beverage culture. And when you flood social media with dozens of influencers shilling your product, it starts to feel more like a forced ad campaign than organic buzz.

At some point, the internet had enough—and Poppi became the target.

Olipop and Culture Pop Capitalized on the Moment

While Poppi was dealing with backlash, competitors like Olipop and Culture Pop Soda saw an opportunity and took it.

Both brands quickly launched social-driven giveaways, offering free soda directly to everyday consumers—exactly what people wanted from Poppi. Culture Pop’s TikTok, for example, leaned into the moment and resonated with audiences who were frustrated with influencer excess. 

It was a textbook real-time marketing win—and a lesson in how being fast and in tune with cultural sentiment can give challenger brands an edge.

How Poppi Responded

To its credit, Poppi didn’t go silent.

CEO Allison Ellsworth—who is also one of the public faces of the brand—quickly took to TikTok to address the backlash directly. Instead of ignoring the criticism or issuing a corporate statement, she spoke authentically and transparently, asking consumers where they wanted to see the product next.

While the damage was already done, owning the moment helped regain some goodwill. It was a reminder that, in today’s landscape, brands don’t just need to be good at marketing—they need to be good at listening, too.

What This Means for Poppi

This won’t kill Poppi—but it’s a major misstep for a brand still in its challenger phase. For a company that aspires to take on Coke and Pepsi, maintaining credibility is everything.

Worse, it left the door open for competitors. In a category that’s already highly competitive, a moment like this can erode brand loyalty—and if brands like Olipop and Culture Pop continue to win over disillusioned Poppi fans, the brand could lose ground it worked so hard to gain.

Lessons for Marketers: The New Rules of Influencer Marketing

Poppi’s stumble should make every marketer rethink their influencer strategy and tactics:

✅ Don’t Just Chase Impressions—Chase the Right Voices

It’s not about how many influencers promote your brand. It’s about who they are and what they stand for. Poppi went wide instead of going deep with the right voices.

✅ Understand the Mood of the Moment

Just because something worked last year doesn’t mean it works today. We’re in an era where influencer excess feels out of step with real-world struggles. Brands need to read the room before launching big, splashy influencer giveaways.

✅ Make It About the Consumer, Not Just the Influencer

Imagine if Poppi had flipped the script and gave vending machines to superfans instead of influencers. That would have been a cultural moment worth celebrating, rather than a marketing play that backfired.

At the end of the day, Poppi’s biggest mistake wasn’t the vending machines—it was misunderstanding the shifting tide of consumer sentiment.

For brands that rely on social media to build their empire, the lesson is clear: the internet can make you, and the internet can break you. Boom.