Pepsi has launched its 26th NFL season campaign under its Tailgating Deserves Pepsi platform.
The campaign features Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis and NFL player Justin Jefferson. Bettis plays a game-day referee. His job is simple. He flags food spreads that do not include Pepsi.
Pepsi Calls Out the Missing Pour
The launch film centres on a burger being served without the soft drink. Jefferson joins Bettis in calling out the missing pairing.
The creative turns a familiar consumption occasion into the campaign's central device. Pepsi is not selling the product through football performance. It is linking the brand to what happens around the game. The campaign also gives Pepsi room to extend the platform across multiple touchpoints rather than relying on a single celebrity-led advertisement.
Building a Platform Beyond One Film
Two additional films will roll out during the NFL season. One is set inside a fan's home. The other takes the action to a grocery store aisle. Bettis appears across the campaign, creating continuity between the different settings.
For marketers, the strategy is notable for how Pepsi uses food as the bridge between sport and product. The NFL provides cultural scale, while gameday eating creates a more immediate consumption context.
The Last Word
Sports sponsorship becomes more useful when brands own the rituals around the match. Pepsi is turning gameday food into that territory.