New Delhi: After celebrating the unorthodox and immensely popular face of modern cricket last year; Pepsi is all set to change the way the sport is viewed by millions of cricket crazy fans in India.
Being one of the global sponsors of the ICC World Twenty20 2012 Sri Lanka, Pepsi with its latest campaign aims to celebrate the nation’s zeal for the sport and more so the format. The new commercial for the biggest Twenty20 cricket extravaganza brings Bollywood superstar, Ranbir Kapoor and skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni together on-screen for the very first time.
The campaign revolves around the passionate spirit of the young Indian Twenty20 cricket fans who enjoy watching the exciting format with the same irrepressible & unorthodox fervour reflected in the cricketers’ game on-field.
A cricket fan himself, Ranbir shows the cricketers, including Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina the ‘Na Tameez’ the irreverent & zany side of T20 fans.
From the pure technical form of the game, cricket today has become entertaining, glamourous & action packed… and the Twenty20 fans today are not just cricket fans, they are ‘action fans’ lapping up this high-adrenaline, roller-coaster format.
From unorthodox shots to bizarre field placing, Twenty20 is not played by the rules; it’s a No holds barred form of the game... and when it comes to the action-loving fans it’s a no-holds barred form of watching & celebrating the game. After all, Yeh T20 hai boss… na tameez se khela jaata hai… na tameez se dekha jaata hai!
Speaking about the new campaign Homi Battiwalla, Senior Director – Marketing (Colas, Juices & Hydration), PepsiCo India said, “Pepsi is strongly associated with cricket in India and we are delighted to be one of the global sponsors of ICC World Twenty20 2012 Sri Lanka – the biggest international cricket tournament this year. Our Change the Game campaign last year celebrated everything unorthodox about the way the sport is played; this year, we take forward the same philosophy and extend it to the millions of cricket fans in our country. In true Pepsi style, the campaign is irreverent and the Indian cricket fans, led by Ranbir Kapoor show how they Change the Game off-field”.
Ranbir Kapoor said, “Cricket as a sport has evolved over the years and the Twenty20 format is a testimony of that - its short, exciting and more over it’s changed the entertainment quotient associated with the sport. The latest Pepsi campaign reiterates that and brings forth the nation’s love for the sport in a refreshing twist. I am really excited about the ad film as it gave me an opportunity to work with one of the most celebrated captains of the Indian Cricket team, MS Dhoni for the first time.”
Adding further, Indian skipper, MS Dhoni said, “Fast paced and thrilling in its format, Twenty20 Cricket has changed the game on-field. Last year with Pepsi, we celebrated the new and innovative sporting moves and this year we take forward the concept to its fans. Just like we enjoy playing the sport and forget about everything else, fans too love the exciting format and watch it with complete fanaticism. It was a great experience shooting the commercial with Ranbir Kapoor, our celebrated cricketers and more importantly the fans of the sport.”
The ad film opens with the shot of a bus taking the cricketers breaking down in a busy neighbourhood. Suddenly, Ranbir Kapoor appears from top of the bus and starts interacting with the cricketers. They are taken by surprise when other fans in the area also join Ranbir to demonstrate their fun response to the cricketers’ playing format and some of their favourite shots. Witnessing the absolute craziness of the fans around, Dhoni finally asks Ranbir - “yaar yeh kya tameez hai?” to which the young actor responds in a quirky manner, ‘Yeh T20 hai boss, na tameez se khela jaata hai and then he’s joined by the fans who say, ‘na tameez se dekha jaata hai’.
“Our latest commercial for Pepsi focuses on the excitement and thrill with which the sport is viewed by millions of its fans in India and celebrates their passion in a never seen before manner. Just the way the Twenty20 format has bent the traditional rules; Indian cricket fans have bent the rules to watch the sport in their own irreverent style. Ranbir and Dhoni for the first time together is the added bonus and if I may add… their chemistry is sizzling” added, Surjo Dutt, Executive Creative Director – JWT India.
Pepsi will create a unique ‘Na Tameez’ experience for lucky Twenty20 cricket fans during the India matches. The brand is launching a contest for its fans on Facebook wherein they will be asked to answer two simple questions to be eligible to win passes for the ICC World Twenty20, scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka from September 18. 39 lucky winners will get a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the India matches live. They will not watch the matches like regular ticket-holders but will get the best seats in the stadium in specially designed Pepsi dug-outs.
The excitement continues on Pepsi’s digital platforms by building around the hype, madness, unconventional incidents and crazy moments that are created off-field because of the action on-field, in a fun and quirky manner. Its initiatives on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Mobile etc are being launched with an aim to change the way the consumers watch, cheer and listen to the sport. In addition, Pepsi had also launched a first of its kind branded smart phone application in India.
By Indian Sports News Network
