PepsiCo: That youthful spirit

Pepsi, the flagship brand of PepsiCo, is all set to roll out its new campaign, “Youngistaan ka Wow”. While keeping the element of entertainment alive, the campaign attempts to show that the youth is audacious and lets things happen in their own way. Two years ago, Pepsi had introduced the concept of Youngistaan to bond with the youth. The new campaign builds on that.

The 45-second television commercial revolves around Ranbir Kapoor’s chase for a Pepsi, and how he acts smart to get the last bottle of Pepsi reserved for the President of of a country.

The film starts with the setting of a palace. The next shot shows a busy kitchen with Kapoor portraying a butler chasing a bottle of Pepsi. A tired Kapoor looks around and spots the only bottle of Pepsi inside the cooler. Excited, Kapoor approaches the drink and is stopped by a security guard with two subordinates. The officer tells him that the President wants the Pepsi.

The next shot shows Kapoor inside an elevator with a surveillance camera with the bottle of Pepsi on a tray, and is watched closely in the control room. He comes out of the elevator and shakes the drink suspiciously while hiding behind a pillar. Asked to stop, he diligently puts the cola back on the tray with a tinge of confidence. Here comes the security officer and asks Kapoor if he wants to drink Pepsi. Firmly, Kapoor replies that the cola is for the President. When the officer asks Kapoor to drink it, he gulps down the bottle of Pepsi and walks out and a voice-over says! ‘Youngistaan ka Wow’.

PepsiCo Executive Vice-president (marketing, cola) Sandeep Singh Arora informs the logic behind the new campaign: “Think about Pepsi. The first thing that pops up is its alignment with youthfulness, a ‘can do’ attitude and ‘in my own way’ spirit. Youngistaan ka Wow takes the sense of empowerment to the next level and reflects the youth is ready to take on anything and can wow the world while refreshing its passion.”

The film was shot in Los Angeles over two days. “The feedback that we have had from consumer insight resulted in the creative brief to JWT to capture the spirit of the youth and up its self-belief,” says Arora.

What are the brand’s expectations from this campaign? Arora says: “It will connect with the young, increase Pepsi’s volume share, establish Pepsi’s salient image, attract more consumers and let the existing ones guzzle more Pepsi.”

The timing is also important. With the summers about to set in, Coca-Cola India unveiled its latest communication — Open Happiness — in mid-February. “The communication will be supported by above-the-line, digital, online and on-the-ground activation and will also cater to general entertainment channels as well as sports channels,” adds Arora.