According to BBDO account director Laveena Pessumal, Pepsi Max is the first low-calorie cola drink locally to target men aged 25 years and above.
As the Philippine market is saturated with soft drinks making similar sugar-free claims, the agency decided to cut through the clutter by using a mix of irreverence and humour.
As the Philippine market is saturated with soft drinks making similar sugar-free claims, the agency decided to cut through the clutter by using a mix of irreverence and humour.
Ominously titled ‘Kill the sugar’, the new initiative is led by two 15-second TV commercials featuring an over-sized cube of sugar with a distinctly unpleasant ‘attitude’ - the animated sugar-cube is cocky, but gets its come-uppance in the most unexpected of ways at the hands of two hit-men.
In the first spot, ‘Alley’, the sugar is crossing the road with a menacing frown on its face, only for a car to speed down the road and annihilate it.
The identities of the perpetrators are revealed in the next frame: the windshield wipers of the vehicle clean off the sugar remnants to show two young men peering out in delight.
They then down Pepsi Max to celebrate a job well done.
In ‘Vendor’, the sugar-cube is strolling down the street. It annoys pedestrians with its frown and arrogant hand gestures. Suddenly, a Pepsi Max vending machine drops from the above and crushes it into a sugary cloud of dust.
“We wanted to focus on the functional aspects of the drink and retain an irreverent attitude,” explained Pessumal “The idea of an animated sugar-cube being mercilessly bumped off by Pepsi Max-drinking hit-men heroes is a refreshing way of bringing the sugar-free benefit to life.”
