Pepsi Gives Nod to the Past in New 2018 Global Campaign

PURCHASE, N.Y. — What's old is new again at Pepsi.

With its latest global creative campaign, "Pepsi Generations," the beverage brand is marking its history in pop culture for 120 years. The campaign celebrates the best moments of Pepsi's past, creates new moments for today and sets the stage for the future, "allowing Pepsi to be the choice for decades to come," according to the company.

Pepsi Generations kicks off next month with the debut of an in-game advertisement during Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4 and the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show, as well as a Pepsi Generations Live pop-up that will be at cultural moments across the United States throughout the year, starting with the Super Bowl in Minneapolis.

Pepsi Generations comes to life at the point of purchase with the limited-time introduction of retro packaging as well as the return of the Pepsi Stuff loyalty program. 

"Since our brand was founded more than a century ago, Pepsi has stood for a youthful spirit and the choice of a new generation," said Chad Stubbs, vice president, marketing, Pepsi Trademark, North America. "2018 will be a year to celebrate the past while embracing the future; always reminding consumers to do what they love and have a little fun in their lives."

The Pepsi Generations campaign will roll out in more than 55 markets globally across the full Pepsi portfolio — Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar and Diet Pepsi — throughout the year.

To introduce the Pepsi Generations campaign, the brand will air a 30-second in-game advertisement called "This Is the Pepsi" during Super Bowl LII featuring celebrities of Pepsi's past and present, including a new take on the famous 1992 Pepsi Super Bowl advertisement starring Cindy Crawford and this time, also her son Presley Gerber.

"To this day, people come up to me to talk about how much they loved my original Pepsi spot from '92," Crawford said. "The commercial was a big moment for me and has spanned generations. I am proud to play a role in this iconic pop-culture phenom and excited for fans to see our new take on the Pepsi spot during Super Bowl."

Additional details around the advertisement will be released in the coming weeks.

In addition, singer and actor Justin Timberlake will headline the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show on NBC at U.S. Bank Stadium. Leading up to the National Football League's big game, fans can visit PepsiHalftime.com for behind-the-scenes looks into Timberlake's journey to the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show.

Some lucky fans were also given the chance to win sideline passes to see him perform live at U.S. Bank Stadium through a social media campaign, #PepsiHalftimeLive. This is the sixth year Pepsi is sponsoring the Super Bowl Halftime Show. 

The Pepsi Generations campaign also includes:

• Limited-Edition Retro Packaging: Beginning Jan. 29, the retro packaging pulled straight from the brand's archives will be available at major retailers nationwide in 2-liter bottles, 20-ounce bottles and 12-ounce can 12-packs. This packaging release in select markets around the world will be the first in a series of limited-edition packaging unveiled in 2018 across the trademark, including Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar and Diet Pepsi.
   
• The Return of Pepsi Stuff: The U.S. loyalty program, first released in 1996, is making a comeback. Similar to the first Pepsi Stuff campaign, the promotion features classic Pepsi designs across a range of lifestyle premiums — such as vintage T-shirts, hats, LED signs, varsity jackets, coolers, bikes and more — that can be redeemed with Pepsi Points through PepsiStuff.com. Fans of all ages in the U.S. only can earn points through codes on participating retro packs under the cap or inside take-home packs, and entering codes onto PepsiStuff.com. New Pepsi Stuff prizes will be released throughout the year.
   
• Pepsi Generations Live Pop-ups: Pepsi will present a series of pop-up exhibits in the U.S. throughout the year featuring pop-culture milestones in Pepsi history. Pepsi Generations Live pop-up exhibits will guide fans through the evolution of how Pepsi's history has connected with people over generations. The series will kick-off during the Super Bowl at Nicolette Island Pavilion featuring a private performance from country music duo LOCASH. The pop-up will be open to the public at select times on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3. 

The pop-up will also feature a trophy presentation for the 2017 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year award. Pepsi, together with exclusive program partner Circle K, will announce the winner on Friday, Feb. 2. Fans can vote for one of the five finalists on NFL.com/rookies through Jan. 25 to determine the winner. The five finalists were selected for their performances throughout the 2017 NFL season. This is the 15th year the brand will present the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year award.

Purchase-based PepsiCo generated approximately $63 billion in net revenue in 2016, driven by a food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana.