Pepsi Digital Exec: Google ‘Messed Up’ With Google+, Instagram Is ‘Phenomenal’

Was Instagram worth $1 billion? Will Google+ ever compete or beat Facebook?

Shiv Singh, global head of digital for PepsiCo Beverages and author of Social Media Marketing for Dummies, shared his thoughts on those trendy questions and more during his recent visit to Mashable to unveil Pepsi’s new celebrity-infused “Live for Now” global ad campaign and “Pulse” digital dashboard.

In a 10-minute interview with Mashable‘s editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff, Singh commented about the launch of Google+, Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram, avoiding digital marketing mistakes, establishing a brand voice and creating a Twitter list for “regular people.”

Here are some highlights from the video above:

On Google+ (7:20-8:48): “I have immense respect for Google. … But I think they really messed up the launch of Google+. … They launched it as a social network whereas it’s something else and different to a social network. … They confused their user base.”

On Instagram (8:50-10:00): “I think Instagram was worth $1 billion because if Facebook did not get it Google would have picked it up or Apple would have picked it up or Microsoft would have picked it up and they would have been able to use it to throw darts at Facebook. … The service itself I do think it’s phenomenal.”

On integrating social media with marketing initiatives (0:33-2:04): “Social media is like air. It should flow through anything and everything and completely.”

On brands and celebrities using social media: (2:35-3:27): “More than the brands, it’s some celebrities that are harnessing social media. … A good example is Sofia Vergara from Modern Family. The way she connects with her followers on Twitter is so in sync with who she is that it’s like a drug. … I just want to follow her more and more and more.”