Pepsi Unveils Saquon, TV, 'SNF', Goodies In Multi-Platform Campaign For NFL Season
By Barry Janoff
September 4, 2018: With days to go until the start of the 2018 NFL season, Pepsi has unveiled a multi-platform campaign to support its position as the league’s official soft drink.
The platform includes TV, NBC's Sunday Night Football, Internet, social media, POP packaging, the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year, a tailgating tour, the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show and other activation.
TV spots will star such NFL players as Antonio Brown, Luke Kuechly, Dak Prescott, Devin Funchess and recently signed New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley; Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw; and Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.
"We love football and Pepsi is all about enhancing the overall fan experience," Todd Kaplan, vp-marketing for Pepsi, said in a statement.
"We want to be there for all the best moments that happen throughout the season — whether it's on your couch, at a tailgate or inside the stadium. And our plans for Kickoff this year are just the beginning of how we'll take our game to the next level this season with our NFL partnership."
Initial TV spots include "Theme Song" with Brown, Bradshaw, Kuechly and Prescott, which follows diehard football fans as they gear up for kickoff.
Via a year-long partnership with Circle K for the 2018 Pepsi NFL Rookie-of-the-Year, Barkley stars in his first Pepsi spot, "Unreal Rookie Deal," which shows how creative he can be with mustard and hot dogs when signing his autograph.
"Ice the Kicker" with Rivera and Funchess shows how thousands of fans in a stadium “use the power of Pepsi to make the game they love even better.”
Pepsi will have a presence during NFL Kickoff presented by Hyundai in Philadelphia on Sept. 6 as part of the lead-in to the season-opening game with the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles hosting the Atlanta Falcons (NBC).
The Pepsi Tailgate Tour will make its first stop that day at Great Plaza at Penn's Landing during the 2018 NFL Kickoff Experience. (Full Pepsi Tailgate Tour schedule here.)
Beginning Sept. 9, Pepsi will for the first time be integrated into the NBC Sunday Night Football show open, which features Carrie Underwood, and then be part of the opener every weekend during the NFL season.
Super Bowl LIII is scheduled to be played Feb. 3, 2019 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with Pepsi as the sponsor for the Halftime Show (perfomers TBD).
In-store, Pepsi limited-edition packaging will be available in select markets nationwide featuring 15 NFL teams presented on Pepsi 16 oz. cans and 32 NFL teams featured across Pepsi multi-pack cans.
People can also get football-themed premiums through Pepsi Stuff at PepsiStuff.com, where they can enter a code found on specially marked Pepsi packaging across regular, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar and Pepsi Wild Cherry to earn points to redeem items.
Items include new NFL X Pepsi bobble heads featuring Pepsi's latest player roster; and such Pepsi-logo goodies as a cooler, tailgate chair, hats, PlayStation4 and a grill. (Details here.)
According to Terry Bradshaw, ”There is no greater passion than that of a football fan. Pepsi has become synonymous with football season and I am excited to partner with them on their latest campaign — honoring the diehard fans (including me!) as they gear up for Kickoff.”
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