Pepsi sits out Super Bowl 18/12/2009 |
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Pepsi is breaking a 23-year tradition by not advertising during the 2010 Super Bowl.
The company, which was the biggest advertiser in last year’s broadcast, has for many years made the event the centrepiece of its marketing strategy, producing high-profile ads featuring celebrities such as Cindy Crawford and Britney Spears.
However, it says it would be difficult to explain its new cause-related marketing campaign in a 30-second TV ad, so has decided against taking a Super Bowl slot on February 7.
Frank Cooper, senior vice-president of PepsiCo Americas Beverages, said: “In 2010, each of our beverage brands has a strategy and marketing platform that will be less about a singular event.”
While PepsiCo-owned snack brand Doritos will advertise in the broadcast, the absence of Pepsi gives an opportunity to great rival Coca-Cola, which is said to be working on a Super Bowl ad featuring the Simpsons. Coke only returned to the Super Bowl itself in 2007 after eight years away.
Pepsi will instead launch a marketing campaign in the coming weeks to kick off the ‘Pepsi Refresh Project’, which will see the company award grant money for community projects, such as helping high-school students publish books to develop their writing skills. Pepsi says it has earmarked $20m of its ad budget for the grants next year.
Pepsi is not the only brand taking a break from the Super Bowl. FedEx, a long-time Super Bowl advertiser, is opting out of the 2010 game. While Pepsi denies cost was a factor in its decision – some 30-second spots for the Super Bowl broadcast are expected to go for up to $3m – a spokesman for FedEx said its strategy was motivated by “cost containment”.
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