PepsiCo unveils IPL plans with Taproot as agency partner

The theme would continue to dwell on the lines of Oh Yes Abhi, which was kicked off last month

Food & beverage major PepsiCo has unveiled its plans for the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which gets underway on April 3. Pepsi is the title sponsor of the tournament, while Mountain Dew is the presenting TV sponsor. Besides PepsiCo has bagged the pouring rights for eight teams participating in the IPL this year.

Given the association with the tournament, the Purchase, New-York-headquartered company, whose Indian unit is based in Gurgaon, will kick off the first phase with an ad film featuring brand ambassador Ranbir Kapoor. The campaign conceptualised by Taproot will dwell on the premise - Yeh Team Kabhi Toh Woh Team Kabhi, Par Pepsi Oh Yes Abhi!.

This theme is in continuation of what PepsiCo kicked off last month when it launched a new positioning line - Oh Yes Abhi - for Pepsi. This campaign was conceptualised by JWT. However, PepsiCo has opted to work with Taproot on IPL, the second time it has done so in two years. In 2011, PepsiCo had given Taproot the mandate for the Cricket World Cup. The agency responded with the Change the Game campaign, which was a hit.

This time, PepsiCo has planned various fan initiatives too from limited edition cans to a VIP box at stadia where the matches will be played to an on-ground Pepsi Tweet tournament, 3D pitch mats, horns etc.

"The idea, Yeh Kabhi Toh Woh Kabhi , captures   the effervescent ever changing, non-stop spirit of the tournament bound by a potent sip of Pepsi”, Agnello Dias, chief creative officer and co-founder, Taproot India said.    

Deepika Warrier, vice president - beverage marketing, PepsiCo India added, "IPL provides us the perfect platform for wider reach and engagement  with our core target audience during the peak beverage season."

The high-profile tournament, which has brought back advertisers such as Godrej and Samsung, will end on May 26.