Megan Thee Stallion, Travis Kelce and more help Pepsi remix its legendary Roman Empire ad
US rapper Megan Thee Stallion and NFL stars, Travis Kelce, Josh Allen, Justin Jefferson and Derrick Henry take a trip to ancient Rome in Pepsico’s latest campaign, ‘Make Your Gameday Epic’.
The platform places Megan as Empress Megan – a ruler presiding over a gladiatorial battle between the aforementioned NFL players. During its full-length three-minute film, actors Lamorne Morris (Fargo) and Jake Lacy (White Lotus) have a conversation on the Roman Empire before finding themselves in the centre of a coliseum presided over by Empress Megan.
After Henry, Kelce, Allen and Jefferson enter the field, the Mamushi rapper commands her people to “open the gates”, letting loose tigers to fight them. Ultimately, the NFL players outsmart the ferocious felines, and win a can of Pepsi each.
Afterwards, Megan, the crowd and the gladiators raise their Pepsi cans in the air, the scenes fades away, and a shocked Lacy and Morris sit before a TV screen with Kelce delcaring the famous line from Russel Crowe’s iconic 2000 film, Gladiator, “are you not entertained?”
The move to reference the famous slogan was intentional as the campaign was inspired by, and created to celebrate, the release of the upcoming Gladiator sequel, Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures.
When asked about the work, the campaign’s director Jake Scott said that the aim was to deliver “a visual spectacle”.
“Bringing the epic world of Gladiator II to life in a modern, dynamic way through this Pepsi campaign was incredibly exciting,” Scott said.
“We wanted to create a visual spectacle that captured the energy and intensity of the sport while also paying homage to the iconic film and the original Pepsi campaign. The collaboration with Pepsi and the incredible talent involved made this project truly unforgettable.”
The project was not a small scale affair, according to the president of worldwide marketing and distribution at Paramount Pictures, Marc Weinstock, who revealed that ‘Make Your Gameday Epic’ is one of the largest promotional programs in Paramount’s history.
“What started as a theatrical brand partnership evolved into one of the biggest promotional programs in our company’s history—spanning across theatrical marketing, CBS Sports and the Paramount Global networks,” said Weinstock.
“A film of this scope calls for a truly epic campaign, and we can think of no more fitting collaboration than with one of the most iconic brands in the world.”
The Gladiator films are not the only body of work Pepsi’s newest platform alludes to.
It features a song sampling Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ – the soundtrack song of Pepsi’s legendary 2001 commercial starring music artists Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Enrique Iglesias and Pink. But this time, the tune is remixed with a slick verse from Megan Thee Stallion.
“I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of the legends who appeared in this Gladiator campaign 20 years ago and proud to have carved my own new legacy,” the Savage rapstress said.
“Pepsi really brought the worlds of music, sports and entertainment together in a powerful way to set off the new NFL season. It was fun putting my creative flip on such an iconic Queen song and I can’t wait for the Hotties to hear it!”
The soft drink giant has had a big 2024. In Australia, March saw Pepsi undergo its first identity rebrand in 14 years, colouring its branding with electric blue and black, along with using its “signature Pepsi pulse”.
As for the NFL, the game has continued to become more prevalent in Australia’s sports TV landscape, with each match soon to be readily available through streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Keep up to date with the latest in media and marketing
Got a tip?
Matthew is the editorial assistant at Mumbrella. He joined the company at the end of September 2023.
Linkedin
topics
Derrick Henry
Jake LAcy
jake scott
Josh Allen
Justin Jefferson
Lamorne Morris
Marc Weinstock
Megan Thee Stallion
Paramount Pictures
Pepsi
PepsiCo
Travis Kelce
Megan Thee Stallion..who dreams up these names!!!
$what’s his name?
User ID not verified.
Does it feature their famous unofficial slogan
“Is Pepsi okay?”
User ID not verified.