Football royalty (and former Rangers youth player Gordon Ramsay) rip apart VAR, diving, offside and debate about who is the King of Skill in this ‘galacticos’ of a World Cup spot for Pepsi.
Pepsi Global has brought together football legends in a new film—created by Big Time Creative and directed by Ernest Desumbila out of Sauvage.tv—to celebrate the traditions, rituals and shared passion of fans beyond the 90 minutes.
As far as World Cup ads go, this is up there with the very best, including Nike’s 1998 World Cup airport ad, Nike’s Write the Future and that ad where the world’s best players duked it out on an oil tanker.
In this spot, David Beckham invites fans to re-write the rules of football for Pepsi’s Football Nation.
Superstars, including Mo Salah, Vinicius Jr, Florian Wirtz, Alexia Putellas and Lauren James then take viewers on a high-octane journey through a world where fan debate reigns: from local hangouts to unexpected matchups.
For example Liverpool midfield maestro Florian Wirtz speed parks with accuracy, to the disbelief of a referee who checks it on VAR, Lauren James teaching a university lecture on breaking the offside trap, and Vini Jr and Salah star in a blockbuster movie to decide who is the King of Skil.
Fans throughout the video unveil the “rules” that are central to the Pepsi Football Nation, including: Rule #7: Superstitions are Sacred, Rule #33: Who is the “King of Skill”? Rule #84: You Must Wear Your Winning Jersey to Work. Rule #100: Everything Gets Settled on the Pitch.
To celebrate the film, Pepsi is supporting fans tackle Rule #1 of the Pepsi Football Nation: “It’s called Football, Not Soccer”. Fans will soon be able to download a free web extension that automatically replaces every mention of the word “soccer” with “football.” Whether reading global news or scrolling through searches, fans can ensure the “beautiful game” is always described in the best possible way.
“Football has always gone beyond what happens on the pitch during the 90 minutes. It lives in conversations, rivalries, and traditions that bring fans together every day, across communities, markets and generations,” PepsiCo International Beverages CEO Eugene Willemsen said.
“Pepsi Football Nation celebrates that culture and the many ways fans experience the game beyond the match itself. For decades, Pepsi has been at the heart of the game; now, we’re honouring the shared experiences and ‘rules’ that unite fans worldwide.”
Released on the heels of Coca-Cola’s Uncanned Emotions (see below), B&T is calling the battle of the software giants Pepsi 1 Coke 0. The FIFA World Cup kicks off on the 12 June in Mexico.
