Pepsi has been trying to jump on the international scene with a vengeance. Since it's 2010 Super Bowl hiatus, Pepsi has undergone a massive marketing overhaul. It has poured millions into a rebranding campaign, re-structured the business, sold off product lines, consolidated marketing and advertising agencies, and now it is ready to start doing big things. It had several Super Bowl commercials in 2012, and now it is going after the international pastime: football (soccer, for us Americans).
For its Pepsi Max line, with the help of CLM BBDO, Pepsi has just launched the "crowd surfing" ad featuring football superstars Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Didier Drogba (Chelsea/Ivory Coast), Fernando Torres (Chelsea/Spain), Frank Lampard (Chelsea/England), Sergio Aguero (Man City/Argentina) and Jack Wilshere (Arsenal/England).
Below is the ad.
According to Brand Republic, the global TV campaign won't start until April 4. With the Olympic and World Cup qualifiers, the Euro Cup 2012 in June, and big international friendlies scheduled in the summer, Pepsi Max is positioning itself to be a big name in the international sport. One commenter in on the article called it a poor copycat of Nike's ad featuring Ronaldo and Messi from years back, but with a different message and style, the comparison is not relevant. Songs credits go to DJ Calvin Harris, playing his song "Let's Go."
Along with that, Pepsi is planning something big in the music realm. Forbesreported that Pepsi signed a deal with Nicki Minaj to be a spokesperson for one of its brands. The question remains which brand it is going to be. The Forbes article interviewed an agency rep close to the deal saying that she will be the face of a new brand called "Pop," but a Pepsi rep in an AdAge article denied that statement. The article also reported that Pepsi's international campaign involves BBDO, and on the U.S. side, TBWA/Chiat/Day will be in the mix.
With Pepsi Max hitting the mainstream in April, it seems that we will find out what Pepsi has in store for Nicki soon enough.
Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.
Pepsi has been trying to jump on the international scene with a vengeance. Since it's 2010 Super Bowl hiatus, Pepsi has undergone a massive marketing overhaul. It has poured millions into a rebranding campaign, re-structured the business, sold off product lines, consolidated marketing and advertising agencies, and now it is ready to start doing big things. It had several Super Bowl commercials in 2012, and now it is going after the international pastime: football (soccer, for us Americans).
