ICC World Cup 2011 – Dhoni gets tips on the helicopter shot.
T20 World Cup 2012 – Dhoni gets lessons in ‘no tameez’.
What’s common to both? The brand: Pepsi. What’s different: how the brand portrays itself.
Pepsi ads have often used cricket and celebrity power to appeal to an Indian audience. Their 2011 series – change the game – put the finger on the pulse of a cricket-crazy nation during the World Cup. The series, according to Pepsi, aimed to capture the unorthodox elements of cricket.
Cut to T20 World Cup 2012 and Pepsi says their ads use the same cues. Just that they also mirror the changing ways in which cricket is played and the changing ways in which it is watched. http://www.campaignindia.in/Video/314154,pepsi-changes-the-game-again-returns-to-cricket-ahead-of-t20-world-cup.aspx
But, do these ads also suggest a change in the values associated with the brand?
Is Pepsi just a young, fun brand? Or is it a brand that suggests its ok to displace injured friends from hospital beds to watch a match? Na tameez se khela jata hai, na tameez se dekha jata hai. Tongue-in-cheek, casual irreverence? Or is it an excuse for coarse behaviour?
Brands tell us stories through their ads. The themes and values portrayed in them reflect the brand’s personality. This is one of the reasons why brands need to be careful and consistent in their communication, even when adapting to changing times.
Adman John Hegarty says, a brand is the most valuable piece of real estate in the world: a corner of someone’s mind. Then the story your product or service tells in this real estate should resonate with the values your brand stands for.
What’s the real Pepsi? A great drink that pays testimony to a great game? Or a lot of fizz, which makes it cool to be insensitive?
