PepsiCo’s Mtn Dew, with help from The Joester Loria Group, has become an iconic brand for cutting edge youth culture.

PepsiCo's Mtn Dew brand keeps its profile high with its consumers through sports sponsorships that range from NASCAR to the top pro athletes in skateboarding and snowboarding. Mtn Dew also has strong musical connections–from its relationships with leading hip hop and country artists to its support of emerging talent. It's connections and partnerships like these, executed in connection with brand licensing agency The Joester Loria Group, that keeps the beverage brand top of mind.

Mtn Dew keeps an active and engaging voice on all media outlets by communicating with Dew loyalists through social media and generating buzz-worthy original digital content.

"Mtn Dew has done an exceptional job with utilizing social media to directly engage with consumers," says Katie Cosgrove, senior brand manager, The Joester Loria Group. "Their ongoing presence keeps the brand relevant and consumers wanting to know what's going to come next from them."

Mtn Dew is pioneering new ways to connect with its loyal fan base. In partnership with Complex Media, Dew launched Green-Label.com, an online publication focused on Millennial males, Dew's target audience and one of the most challenging demographics for marketers to reach.

"The content is focused on skating, art, music, style, gaming and more," says Cosgrove. "Mtn Dew has a dynamic and loyal fan base that the brand engages in new and unexpected ways. In 2012, Mtn Dew launched its Green Label Exclusives (GLX) program. The licensing program brings artists and athletes together with top designers and brands to produce one-of-a-kind and limited edition lifestyle signature products inspired by the Dew brand.

"The GLX licensing program has resonated with younger consumers with products that hit on the most popular trends in today's youth culture," continues Cosgrove. "It has also become a vehicle for emerging artists who want to be affiliated with not only what's happening now, but what will be trending tomorrow."

The collaborations are supported with video content that helps tell the story of the collaboration and gives consumers a behind-the-scenes look at how it all comes together. Consumers want to be a part of the story, and the social media aspect engages them not only by offering a great product, but by letting them in on the product's back story.

The collections have been widely successful from both a branding and a sales perspective. Inventory has sold through fast, in some cases in a matter of minutes. Last year, Mtn Dew collaborated with Diamond Supply Co. and hip hop artist Mac Miller to introduce a custom snapback hat sold exclusively on Karmaloop.com. Through a digital campaign by Complex Media, the item sold out in eight minutes.

It's a success story that the GLX program has repeated with each new launch. Mtn Dew's capsule collection partnership with skateboarder Keelan Dadd and the leading urban apparel label Dirty Ghetto Kids sold out in just four days. The Mtn Boo SUPRA Amigo signature skateboard shoe, a collaboration with skateboarder Boo Johnson and SUPRA, sold out in 12 hours. When the brand followed the flash sale launch with wider distribution to specialty media outlets, the strategy became a home run. And yet another Mtn Dew capsule apparel collection from professional photographer Atiba Jefferson featuring Atiba's untapped LA archive photos had unprecedented sales in retail outlets.

Traditional retail affords new opportunities to engage consumers.

"Earlier this year, we launched a GLX collaboration with accessory brand HEX and professional Dew skater Theotis Beasley that was available at Zumiez, CCS.com and at select specialty skate shops nationwide," says Cosgrove. "The launch was supported with an in-store signing with Theotis at Brooklyn's iconic KCDC skate shop, a night skate event and a multi-tiered digital and social media campaign."

Now in its third year, the GLX program is launching four more exciting collaborations and moving into other e-tail and traditional retail accounts to make the product more accessible to consumers.

"We'll launch e-commerce on the Green-Label.com site later this year, giving consumers a one-stop shop for all the latest Dew merchandise and GLX collaborations," says Cosgrove.

Next month, GLX will release a capsule collection with emerging sportswear brand ICNY (Ice Cold New York) from Mike Cherman, the brand's founder and lead designer.

"Mike Cherman, who worked for Nike and other sportswear companies, curated this collection exclusively for Mtn Dew. It will feature 3M reflective tape and blend style and function, a leading trend in lifestyle apparel," says Cosgrove.

Cosgrove says JLG is expanding Mtn Dew's traditional licensing program into hard goods as well with a line of sporting goods launching nationwide this fall.

"We've partnered with JNJ International to develop a collection that includes skateboards, scooters, protective gear and more," she says.

JLG is also in the initial design stages of development on a GLX capsule collection with yet another one of Dew's professional skaters and a major skate deck brand. That collection is set to debut at the Brooklyn stop of the Dew Tour, a skateboard and BMX event in September. "This is the first time Dew is taking the action sports event to Brooklyn, and we will be making a lot of noise around this," says Cosgrove.

JLG is committed to keeping the brand fresh, much like the brand's image demands.

"Dew's ongoing marketing campaigns highlight a broad range of pop culture touchpoints in music and sports that keep the brand relevant with youth culture and their lifestyle," says Cosgrove. "We're always looking for fresh graphics, and we keep morphing the look to a new level. Creative, fresh designs and exciting collaborations will continue to keep GLX collections current."