Challenge

Pepsi needed to reposition Pepsi MAX as the ultimate refreshing beverage for UK football fans aged 18–34. The goal was to elevate mealtime and snack occasions while shifting consumer behavior away from competitor beverages in the highly competitive soft drink market.

Insight

Football fans often enjoy quick, easy meals during matches, prioritizing convenience without sacrificing flavor. This presented an opportunity to position Pepsi MAX as the perfect companion for match-day eating experiences.

Idea

The "Better with Pepsi MAX" campaign brought match-day meals to life by partnering with Big Zuu to create quick, flavorful recipes paired perfectly with Pepsi MAX. Fans could shop ingredients directly via Amazon Fresh and receive free samples of Pepsi MAX with their purchases. A bespoke Amazon Brand Store served as the hub for recipe inspiration and engagement.

Execution

• Partnerships: Collaborated with Big Zuu, KFC, Amazon Ads, and Twisted for a multi-channel approach.

• Recipe Content: Produced engaging recipe videos featuring Big Zuu that paired meals with Pepsi MAX.

• Amazon Integration: Created a customized Amazon Fresh hub for seamless ingredient shopping and sample redemption.

• Social Media Amplification: Leveraged Big Zuu’s TikTok presence and Twisted’s food-focused social channels to drive engagement.

• Digital OOH Advertising: Targeted football fans near KFC locations to amplify campaign visibility.

Innovations

• Amazon Fresh Hub: First EU campaign integrating Amazon Ads and Amazon Fresh for a seamless shopping experience.

• User-Centric Content: Quick, relatable recipe videos tailored to football fans’ lifestyles.

• Multi-Channel Execution: Combined influencer content, social media, and digital OOH advertising for maximum reach.

• Sampling Integration: Offered free Pepsi MAX samples through Amazon Fresh to encourage trial and engagement.

Impact

• Over 460K visits to the recipe inspiration hub.

• More than 11K sample redemptions for Pepsi MAX.

• Achieved a 99% positive sentiment rate among consumers.

• Big Zuu’s TikTok posts saw a +120% increase in views compared to his previous five posts.

This campaign successfully positioned Pepsi MAX as the go-to beverage for match-day meals by blending innovation, strategic partnerships, and consumer insights to drive engagement and sales.

Awards

• Winner: Best Brand/Publisher Partnership at Digiday Media Awards Europe 2024.

• Nominated: Webby Award in the Social-Food & Drink category 2024.

• Shortlisted: The Drum Awards Marketing EMEA 2024.

• Finalist: Campaign Media Awards 2024.

Credits

• Art Director: Ina Arnautalic

• Copywriter: Andre Jackson

• Solutions Managers: Gemma Brydon & Bryn Stamp

• Front-End Engineer: Gabriele Stefani

• Design Technologists: Mirko Cappai & Davide Pumpo

• Creative Director: Matthew Swan

• Video Production: Jungle Creations & Twisted Media

• Media Partnerships (OMD Create): Hanna Rai

• Head of Project Management (Jungle Creations): Kelsie Leonard