As professional soccer season formally will get underway, Pepsi is attempting its hand at a special playbook for reaching shoppers. The longtime NFL sponsor is specializing in Meals Deserves Pepsi, a model platform launched final 12 months that positions its merchandise as superior meal pairings and options stunts the place undercover brokers outfitted in blue jumpsuits storm gatherings like barbecues to swap out rival sodas, typically to chaotic outcomes. The brokers — the Pepsi Crashers — this go-around are getting an help from high NFL gamers Josh Allen and Justin Jefferson and concentrating on tailgates across the nation, with plans to show reactions into real-time content material.
“This isn’t about an advert that’s on TV. That is about dwelling and experiencing our model proposition in actual life,” mentioned Gustavo Reyna, vp of selling at Pepsi.
Meals pairings have been prevalent in Pepsi’s advertising and marketing for a while, however bringing Meals Deserves Pepsi to the NFL marks a bigger strategic shift for the embattled beverage model. Pepsi for years oriented its soccer efforts round music — it was the Tremendous Bowl Halftime Present sponsor till 2022 — and adverts bursting with movie star cameos (2024’s NFL marketing campaign, a part of a tie-up with “Gladiator II,” starred rapper Megan Thee Stallion alongside athletes Allen, Jefferson, Derrick Henry and Travis Kelce as they battled it out in a trap-laden colosseum).
“Pepsi Tailgate Crashers” in contrast is extra grounded and oriented round genuine recreation day rituals, with experiential activations deliberate for tailgates at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Monetary Subject, New York’s MetLife Stadium and Washington’s Northwest Stadium, amongst different venues. Allen and Jefferson seem in a TV spot rolling out this week that sees them obtain a pep speak from the Crashers earlier than switching out their jerseys for the model’s uniform and hitting parking heaps to place Pepsi within the fingers and coolers of pre-gaming followers.
“It’s maybe a very powerful evolution we’ve had in our soccer campaigns up to now,” mentioned Reyna.
The switch-up arrives as Pepsi’s market share continues to slip, with the model now the No. 4 carbonated gentle drink by quantity within the U.S., per Beverage Digest Knowledge. Sprite, owned by rival Coca-Cola, climbed to No. 3 in Could whereas Dr Pepper sits within the No. 2 spot as soon as long-held by Pepsi.
Father or mother PepsiCo can also be below rising strain to supply a turnaround as a few of its flagship merchandise decline. Activist investor Elliott Funding Administration on Tuesday took a $4 billion stake within the enterprise, elevating the stakes for advertising and marketing to ship outcomes.
Connecting with followers
The boots-on-the-ground strategy to “Pepsi Tailgate Crashers,” which can host over 20 occasions all through the season, is seen as a strategy to “construct credible, significant relationships with folks,” Reyna defined, together with by way of established techniques just like the Pepsi Problem.
The character of the Crashers, who are sometimes filmed in candid-camera style, additionally lends itself to social media as CPGs prioritize the channel within the chase for youthful audiences. PepsiCo’s U.S. drinks division in June deepened its relationship with company VaynerMedia to make its manufacturers extra “culturally fluent” and reactive throughout social platforms.
“We’re going to create some very enjoyable content material that’s going to be social-first for digital channels that can amplify [and] elevate the Meals Deserves Pepsi marketing campaign,” mentioned Reyna. “It should be a dwell marketing campaign all through the season. It begins with this TV spot, however there’s much more occurring … on the experiential aspect, in addition to content material and social.”
On the digital entrance, Pepsi is partnering with media manufacturers on the intersection of sports activities and tradition like Barstool Sports activities and Scorching Ones to extend relevance, in keeping with Reyna. Companies OMD, BBDO, the Acceleration Neighborhood of Corporations and Motive are supporting the Crashers blitz.
Reception up to now to Meals Deserves Pepsi has been optimistic, in keeping with Reyna. Some Crashers content material has racked up hundreds of thousands of views on websites like YouTube, underscoring the idea’s entertaining enchantment. The approaching months will see whether or not the platform carries a Tremendous Bowl-sized alternative for Pepsi.
“Meals Deserves Pepsi is our foremost advertising and marketing platform and we’re going to double down on it as a result of it’s working for us,” the manager mentioned.
