Dylan, will.i.am & Pepsi

Superbowl Sunday - watch for this new 60-second Pepsi commercial, called "Refresh Anthem."



Created by TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles, the ad uses Bob Dylan's song from the 70's, "Forever Young", and updates it for the modern generation.

The first half of the commercial features Dylan; second half features the one and only will.i.am. Lighters are replaced by cell phones, Shrek replaces Gumby, but the American spirit is the same.

The commercial ends with "every generation refreshes the world."

Nicely done.

Going to the Inauguration? Well Then! Collect your Pepsi button!

Pepsi Goes to Washington
Brings Its Optimism Message to Capital for Inauguration Events
By Natalie Zmuda, Advertising Age, January 14, 2009

Since the roll out of Pepsi-Cola's new smiley-face-type logo and optimistic-themed campaign, plenty have drawn comparisons between it and President-elect Barack Obama's message. The soft-drink giant will solidify that connection with a major presence in Washington during next week's inauguration festivities.

At RefreshEverything.com, videos beginning with 'Dear Mr. President' range from the frivolous to the serious.

In keeping with the brand's new optimism push, Pepsi is plastering messages such as "All for One" and "Yes You Can" on buildings, billboards, buses and public transportation hubs around the city. Beginning Sunday, street teams will make their way around the nation's capitol, distributing commemorative Pepsi campaign buttons, scarves and hats.

'Bipartisan message'
"We have always had a bipartisan message of optimism, and that's why we love [our] logo," said Anamaria Irazabal, director-trademark Pepsi, calling any similarities between Pepsi and Mr. Obama's message a "happy coincidence."

"This inauguration is pretty unique and historic," she said. "It is an event that's bigger than the Super Bowl, because it's a unique moment in time. It's an important cultural event, and we need to be part of the conversation."

On Saturday, a new commercial, dubbed "Pass," from Omnicom Group's TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles, will debut during "Saturday Night Live." Ms. Irazabal said the spot highlights how Pepsi has been a part of cultural moments and includes a call to action. "There's [this idea] that the new president is going to change everything," she said. "But we all need to be engaged, and we all need to be agents of change."

To that end, Pepsi is giving consumers the opportunity to submit videos as part of an open multimedia letter to the new administration. At RefreshEverything.com, videos beginning with "Dear Mr. President" range from the frivolous to the serious. A Florida woman asks that medicine not be socialized, while an Ohio man asks that utility companies be better regulated. One Michigan man tells the president the U.S. should claim pizza as the national food, if Italy hasn't already. Many wish Mr. Obama good luck.

More than traditional marketing
But Pepsi's presence in Washington next week will go beyond traditional marketing and advertising. The brand is also sponsoring a Refresh the World Symposium on Jan. 19 and The Creative Coalition Gala Inaugural Ball on Jan. 20.

"As a topical brand and cultural leader, it's our responsibility to add value in these moments," Ms. Irazabal said of the events. "Two things that define Pepsi are change and, compared to our key competitor, something that defines them, they are timeless, we are timely. We are always topical. We are always a part of the conversation."

The symposium is being organized with Spike Lee and Howard University and will feature such heavy hitters as Andrew F. Brimmer, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Arianna Huffington. Sessions include Refresh Education, Refresh Gender and Refresh Black America. There's also the light-hearted, Refresh Hip-Hop session featuring Sean Combs, Queen Latifah and Chris Lighty.

Meanwhile, Quaker Oats, another PepsiCo brand, will also be looking to connect itself with next week's historic inauguration. The brand is partnering with 11 "mommy bloggers" to host inauguration parties. "Moms are core to Quaker Oatmeal, so [mommy bloggers] are particularly important to us," said Shelley Haus, marketing director-Quaker breakfast portfolio. "The inauguration is an interesting fit with breakfast. There are not a lot of global historic events that fit so well with the breakfast time period."

The blogging effort will serve as the kick off to Start With Substance, a partnership between Quaker and Share Our Strength, whose mission is to feed children.

Pepsi capitalizes on Obama & Millennials

PepsiCo has hired communications agency TBWA/Chiat/Day, of Playa Del Rey, CA, to revitalize their soda, which has been losing favor with consumers, who are now purchasing flavored waters and energy drinks. (PepsiCo reported a 3% volume decline in North America during the third quarter, while Coca-Cola reported a 2% decline.)

The new Pepsi campaign includes brand new packaging, merchandizing, and marketing. The new logo shown here (a smiley face) is Pepsi's 11th in its 110-year history. PepsiCo's previous communications agency, BBDO, held the account for almost 50 years.

The new campaign takes into account the results of a PepsiCo consumer survey, conducted by StrategyOne in November. The consumer survey was part of the Pepsi Optimism Project, which aims to examine the mind-set of Millennials. The study found that Millennials (people born between 1980 - 1990) are hopeful about the future.

* 95% agreed that it is important to maintain a positive outlook on life.

* 95% make positive associations when they think of the word "change." They also associate the word with sentiments including "new," "progress," "hope" and "excitement."

PepsiCo has always tried to appeal to youth, with previous taglines like "Generation Next" and "The Choice of a New Generation", and this new campaign is no exception. With this new campaign, PepsiCo hopes to capitalize on the Millennial study results. But a Pepsi spokeswoman pointed out that it's not just Millennials; more than two-thirds of adults surveyed said that the election of President-elect Obama is making them feel optimistic about the future of the country.

"We have a broad target audience, and we believe this campaign will appeal to people of many different ages," the spokeswoman said. "We are excited that people are optimistic across the board. ... [The survey] gives us more information, so it does help shape how we're going to move forward with this campaign."

PepsiCo said that product with the new logo is on its way to stores, and the campaign will launch shortly. There is speculation that this could happen during the Super Bowl on February 1st. PepsiCo has confirmed that it bought time in the game, but won't reveal any additional details. Last year the game attracted approximately 97.5 million viewers, in the USA.

The effort is funded by a "Productivity for Growth" initiative, expected to generate a savings of $1.2 billion over 3 years. PepsiCo spent about $162 million on advertising in 2007, according to Advertising Age's 100 Leading National Advertisers report.

source: Pepsi Embraces 'Optimistic' Millennials in New TBWA Work: Survey of Youthful Consumers Influencing Campaign That Could Break on Super Bowl
By Natalie Zmuda, Advertising Age, December 11, 2008