Pepsi shows IPL's unity in diversity

Piggybacking on the IPL fever sweeping across the country, the cola major has unveiled a JWT-developed commercial on YouTube, soon to be on air, featuring M.S.Dhoni.

The film begins with Dhoni standing in a mill with his bat, dressed in south Indian attire. A voice over introducing Dhoni says, "Dhoni from Jharkhand". Dhoni responds and says in his new-found south Indian accent, "Yem, Yes Dhoni from Chennai...mind it!"

Then without using his hands, he flicks his sunglasses up, taking on a famous South-Indian superstar. He throws the bat from one hand to another and says, "All you fast bowler rascals... I have the bat... Do you have the ball?" He then goes on to display a series of superhuman tricks. He throws his bat on the ground, and the bat stays balanced straight without falling. He launches a straw from his watch into the air and catches it between his lips and elongates it magically to sip "his favourite drink, Pepsi", ending with a "Mind it!"

Targeting young cricket crazy boys and girls, the creative concept of the campaign is built around the "league format" of the tournament where the biggest international and Indian cricket stars will be playing alongside and against each other. "IPL is the youngest form of cricket. In fact it is Youngistaan's cricket. This campaign brings out the freshness and uniqueness of the format. This is imaginative, inventive cricket -  it doesn't matter where you come from, you may end up playing for some other city. Youngistaanis are not restricted by borders - the only border is the one in the mind," explains Hari Krishnan, vice president and client services director, JWT.
Read more on Pepsi's '08 summer initiatives in Campaign India's issue dated May 9.