Vita Coco launches its own vending machine activation after Poppi’s Super Bowl stunt
It’s been over a week since prebiotic soda brand Poppi sent vending machines to influencers, sparking some backlash on social media. But leave it to brands to keep the conversation going.
Coconut water company Vita Coco jumped at the chance to flip the script on influencer gifting. As the healthy soda wars simmered down, Vita Coco leveraged the online hoopla by showing up with its own makeshift vending machine in New York City’s Washington Square Park. During the Valentine’s Day activation, a brand mascot handed out free Vita Coco drinks to the public as an inclusive spin on Poppi’s campaign.
The Valentine’s Day stunt was specifically used to promote one of Vita Coco’s newest lines, the strawberries-and-cream drink Vita Coco Treats, which rolled out in mid-2024. According to the company, the activation resulted in long lines of passersby and a TikTok video that has now surpassed a million views and over 45,000 likes. According to Vita Coco, the company ended up handing out about 600 products.
In a statement to Modern Retail, a Vita Coco spokesperson said the company decided to host this makeshift vending machine activation because, “Our team noticed an emerging conversation on social media, where consumers were imploring brands to spend their money treating everyday consumers to just a fraction of perks that many influencers get to enjoy daily.” Even though Vita Coco did not overtly say that the brand did this because of Poppi’s Super Bowl activation, TikTok users who commented on the video were quick to draw comparisons between Vita Coco and other beverage brands.
According to Vita Coco, the team was able to hand out the free treats using a pop-up “vending machine” made with materials readily available in the Vita Coco office. The machine was created by dressing a utility cart in pink fabric to match the Vita Coco Treats line.
Jane Prior, CMO of The Vita Coco Company, told Modern Retail the company was looking to promote its new line on Valentine’s Day by directly engaging with customers.
“We created Vita Coco Treats specifically because we think everyone deserves a delicious guilt-free treat,” Prior said. “So when we saw an opportunity to surprise and delight everyday New Yorkers and capitalize on a consumer conversation on social, we knew we had to jump on it.”
The Poppi backlash was emblematic of social media followers’ growing distaste for splashy PR gifts sent to creators. Poppi’s founder, Allison Ellsworth, for her part, later took to TikTok to address concerns around waste, saying, “These vending machines will be part of the brand for years to come.” She added that it was always part of the brand’s plan to get these vending machines out in the community to places like teacher’s lounges or college campuses, or anywhere else where Poppi customers would want to see them.
On social media, Vita Coco said its makeshift vending machine only cost $25. Other food and beverage startups chimed in to applaud Vita Coco’s move in the comments, including Poppi competitor Olipop and candy brand SmartSweets. In an update post on Tuesday, Vita Coco tagged Olipop with the caption, “best $25 we’ve ever spent.”
Even outside of this particular viral moment, finding scrappy ways to get in on bigger cultural conversations is becoming increasingly important for brands that want to come across more authentically on social media.
“This is a fun, harmless bit from Vita Coco,” said Nate Rosen, author of the CPG-focused newsletter called Express Checkout. He said the stunt happened to be timed just right, to give a subtle nod to those in the know about the backlash Poppi received on social media for its Super Bowl campaign.
“It’s smart because it lets another brand hop into the conversation and remind everyone, ‘Hey, we’re here, too!’ even if the brand isn’t in the same category,” Rosen added. This is especially true in a major city where the odds are that more people will catch the Super Bowl campaign reference.
“It isn’t even them clapping back, they’re just having fun and staying relevant to the situation,” Rosen said.