Pepsi – I’m Playing It!

It seems that Pepsi’s marketing agents discovered long ago that there is no better form of advertising than word-of-mouth. Probably that is why the soda giant has been applying very successfully various viral marketing techniques, ranging from advergames, to interactive sites, to co-ops with other brands, for the last six years or so.

In 2005 Pepsi launched Jet Ski game as part of the Pepsi Max Ultra Park. This game gave the players the opportunity to experience a fast and furious and yet funny ride on a wakeboard. Monkey Taxi, another advergame that had Pepsi’s logo associated with it, was introduced to support the controversial TV ad campaign that featured a chimp. This game challenged the player to guide around the city Arthur, the fastest taxi driver in town who is also a monkey, picking passengers while trying to avoid the police. Some other games include Pepsi Sumo Twong, Pepsi Handball, and Pepsi Finger Footy. And if you are wondering what is it about them that makes them so successful the answer is simple – they have the Pepsi logo but it is not intrusive, they are entertaining, and you can quit whenever you feel like doing so. And one more thing – they are current.

This summer soccer was the biggy all around the world. Predicting that Pepsi launched mydadada.com – a site that fully integrates digital and marketing activity, letting consumers identify with Pepsi’s football credentials. What made this campaign so successful is that “it was stuffed with things to do” according to Patrick Baglee, Executive Creative Director at EHS Brann. Pepsi also launched its “What’s in my locker” campaign which not only gave visitors to the website the opportunity to look behind the curtains of the World Cup’s locker rooms but also opened up the opportunity for direct one-to-one communication between the brand and the consumer.

Now that the football rush is over, Pepsi’s new campaign is on the way. For many years the company has been a sponsor of the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) and this year, for the second time, it is hosting an online karaoke contest whose winner will get the chance to attend the award ceremony, walk the red carpet, and host his/her own show on MTV Overdrive. What more can Pepsi fans want but a can of their favorite soda to make the experience complete.