Campaign: Youngistaan ka WOW
Brand: Pepsi
Company: PepsiCo india
Agency: JWT
The Campaign
Pepsi?s new ad is about Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor?s chase for a Pepsi reserved for a zealously guarded ruler and how he finally manages to get hold of the drink. The 45-second commercial begins in a palace and takes us to a busy kitchen where Kapoor is portrayed as a butler. A bored Kapoor sets his eyes on the only Pepsi in the fridge. He is stopped by the security guards as he prepares to take a swig and is instead ordered to serve it to the president. The next shot shows Kapoor inside the elevator taking the Pepsi to the president even as surveillance cameras watch his every move. He steps out of the elevator, manages to dodge the cameras for a second and then emerges shaking the bottle suspiciously. When he is almost at the door of the president?s room, the guards stop him. As he stammers that the Pepsi is for the president, he is ordered to drink it. He gulps the drink at one go and walks out. The voice-over follows: Youngistaan ka WOW.
Our Take
Pepsi?s ads have always been seen as an ode to the youth, reflecting their passion and giving a voice to them. In 2008, Pepsi had introduced the concept of Youngistaan?Pepsi?s fictitious country that belongs to the youth.
However, the 2010 campaign of this much idolized youth brand, an attempt to take the Youngistaan concept forward, gives the youth element a miss. It tries to portray the confidence but fails to get the fun factor in place. The new baseline, Youngistaan ka WOW, is neither out-of-the-box nor catchy. The storyline?the paranoid guards protecting the president?looks dated and is not very convincing. Compared to earlier ads from Pepsi, which were fun, energetic and fresh, this one is somewhat of a letdown.
On the positive side, the new campaign has launched a first of its kind brand activation initiative on the radio?the Youngistaan anthem -a song which weaves together interesting words, descriptions and phrases sent in by young people across the country on what Youngistaan ka WOW means to them. The lyrics have been given a catchy background score by the musical duo Vishal and Shekhar.
Ratings.
*****