Special Australia invites Aussies into the ‘Pepsi-verse’ in first major work for PepsiCo
Pepsi has transformed its logo into a portal to an alternative digital universe, the Pepsi-verse, with the help of independent creative agency Special Australia and directing collective the Glue Society.
It is the first major work created by Special for the brand, after the agency was named as PepsiCo’s lead agency of record last July, following a competitive pitch process. Omnicom Media Group (OMG) retained the company’s media account at the same time, via custom-built agency Trio.
Other Assets
Passport 15″: https://youtu.be/DQLwvioC41E
Phone 15″: https://youtu.be/Ige2IVwnhZs
Date 15″: https://youtu.be/osLpz6jjji8
Sock 15″: https://youtu.be/K91fM8PgMZo
Spoiler 15″: https://youtu.be/EkwAudRJo0Q
The campaign will see every Pepsi logo, from cans, billboards, vending machines, social media and more become a ‘portal’ that audiences can scan on their smart phone to open the Pepsi-verse on their screen, making every logo into its own media channel.
Launching across television, cinema and social media, campaign content will announce the new ‘Pepsi-verse’, inviting people to scan to see a number of iterations of the idea, showcasing how things work differently and more entertainingly in the alternate universe.
In one spot, a newsreader appears introducing a ‘Pepsi-verse’ scenario in which a seagull delivers chips to a beachgoing, rather than stealing them.
“Pepsi Max is a brand that wants to be known for championing progressive and alternative thinking and this campaign is the perfect platform to do it,” said Vandita Pandey, CMO PepsiCo. “We are so excited to now create a whole universe of our own that literally lets us demonstrate the fun and positivity that comes from thinking about life in an alternative way.”
“It’s rare you get to say you’re excited to be creating an alternate reality, particularly one that transforms something as iconic as every Pepsi can and logo into a way of visiting it,” said Julian Schreiber, CCO and partner at Special. “Even the way the content for the universe has been created is very alternative in style from what you’ve ever seen before from the brand itself.”
“And this is just the beginning of what people will see in the Pepsi-verse” said Tom Martin, CCO and partner at Special. “People will see only some parts in their socials and on TV, but there’s bespoke content and digital experiences that you can only get by using the portal yourself.”
As the campaign continues to rollout, more iterations of the Pepsi-Verse will become available, rewarding customers for picking up a can and ‘visiting the Pepsi-verse.
Credits
Client: Pepsi Max
CMO Snacks & Beverages: Vandita Pandey
Head of Marketing Beverages: Tracy Hardwick
Marketing Lead: Jamie Bruce
Marketing Manager: Tiana Handel
Brand Manager: Candy Wong
Brand Manager: Anita Cheng
Consumer Insights Planner: Judith Meyers
Agency: Special Australia
CCO/ Partner: Julian Schreiber & Tom Martin
CEO/Partner: Lindsey Evans & Cade Heyde
CSO/Partner: Dave Hartmann
CD/Creatives: Toby Moore, Luke Thompson & Noah Regan
Designer: Bella Plush
Team Lead: Michelle Braslin
Business Director: Maddie Armstrong
Senior Producer: Bill Doig
Creative technologist: Laurent Marcus
Sevda Cemo _ Head of Film and Content Production
Paul Johnson _ Executive Producer
Nick Lilley _ Head of Stills & Digital Production
Sonia Ebrington _ Senior Integrated Producer
Steph Wilkinson _ Social Integrated Producer
Fraser Kelton_ Social Films Editor
James Simmons – Digital Director
Greg Thai – Digital Producer
Writers’ Room: Special x The Glue Society:
Tom Martin, Paul Bruty, Julian Schreiber, Pete Baker, Toby Moore, Millicent Malcolm, Luke Thompson, Luke Nuto, Bella Plush, Noah Regan, Jonathon Kneebone, Laurent Marcus
Production Company: Revolver
Directing Collective: The Glue Society
Directors: Paul Bruty, Luke Nuto & Millicent Malcolm
Managing Director/Co-Owner: Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer/ Partner: Pip Smart
Executive Producer: Jasmin Helliar
Producer: Nicole Crozier
Director of Photography: Dale Bremner
Production Designer: Damien Drew
Wardrobe: Olivia Simpson
Post Production: The Glue Society Studios
Post Producer, Colourist, Animator, Online Compositor: Scott Stirling
Editor: Luke Crethar
Lead Animator & VFX Compositor: Svetoslav Atanasov
VFX Compositors: Andy Lion & Viv Baker
Digital Production Partner – Unbound
Why is it only ever Pepsi Max that features in advertisements or is promoted in Australia? Pepsi itself (the original) is just entirely forgotten about. The Pepsi Australia Facebook page only features Pepsi Max. The only website is pepsimax.com.au. The main Pepsi brand (as in regular Pepsi, with sugar, in the blue can) has been completely abandoned as far as any publicity is concerned, even though it’s still widely available. It’s weird.
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