Pepsi ‘changes the game’ in its campaign for the ICC World Cup

WATCH the TVC created by Taproot India, Pepsi’s creative agency for the cricket world cup

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Pepsi ‘changes the game’ in its campaign for the ICC World Cup

Pepsi, the official global partner of the ICC World Cup 2011, has unveiled its campaign for the mega cricketing event. It has been executed by Taproot India, the agency Pepsi empanelled specifically for the World Cup.

The campaign for the World Cup is titled ‘Change the game’ and it comprises MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Kevin Peitersen, T Dilshan and Harbhajan Singh in five different TVCs, showcasing how a ‘Youngistaani’ has influenced their favourite cricketing shots.

WATCH the Dhoni TVC now (story continues below)

The first of the five TVCs is set on a farm and features Indian captain Dhoni’s helicopter shot. It shows a young man teaching Dhoni how to play the helicopter shot with the use of a hay cutter. After showing him the technique behind the shot, he makes Dhoni practice it on the hay cutter. After that the man hands over a bottle of Pepsi to Dhoni and asks him to execute the shot during a match. The film then cuts to a match against England, where Dhoni is shown playing the helicopter shot . This TVC will go on air on January 15, 2011.

The four other TVCs show Kevin Pietersen’s ‘switch hit’, Virender Sehwag’s ‘upper cut’, Harbhajan Singh’s ‘doosra’ and Tillekratne Dilshan’s ‘dilscoop’. These TVCs will go on air shortly.

Commenting on the brief given by Pepsi for the campaign, Sandeep Singh Arora, executive vice president - marketing, Cola, PepsiCo India, said, “Along with being the official partners for the ICC World Cup, we wanted to also be called the official sponsor of everything that is unorthodox about the sport. We also wanted to build on all the excitement and passion around cricket during the World Cup."

“The big idea for the campaign was ‘Change the game’ . These changes are what Pepsi wants the youth to implement. We want them to challenge conventions just like the cricketers featured in this campaign have used unorthodox and unconventional methods while playing the game,” added Arora.

On the thought behind the campaign, Arora said, “The game of cricket is changing. The orthodox shots like the front-foot defence have been replaced by shots like the upper cuts, scoops, switch hits and the helicopter shot. The crowd watching the game has changed from the well behaved crowd to the crowd that gets to insane levels to support their team.”

Commenting on the campaign, Agnello Dias, chief creative officer, Taproot India, said, “Pepsi has always been the fearless voice of uninhibited youth. A belief that needed to be interpreted even as the official partner of the event. Only Pepsi could turn this official status on its head by standing up for the brave new, unorthodox face of the modern game. The unplugged, organic face of contemporary cricket that is a reflective of everything that the youth of today live by. That it's not the textbook that matters but the result at the end of the day. Because the game can always change.”

On the concept behind the film, Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films, director of the TVCs, said, “'Change The Game' is a powerful concept and we have tried to bring alive the same passion and excitement in the films as we would see during the World Cup. “

Along with television, Pepsi has also created an outdoor advertisement which consists of Dhoni, Sehwag, Raina, Kohli and Harbhajan Singh covered only with a layer of colourful body paint. Pepsi believes that the images reflect their energetic and unique persona on the field. Each design and choice of colour palette has a story behind it which mirrors the athlete’s character.

A contest called 'Change the game 11' will also start on January 17, 2011. In the contest, 11 of the best innovations by fans on cricketing shots and commentary will make it to a team called 'Change the game 11'. This team of 11 members will win passes to attend all of India’s matches in the World Cup and will also act as the brand ambassadors for the cola brand on their social media pages. The contest ends on February 10, 2011. For more information on the campaign, log on to www.pepsichangethegame.com.