Dive Brief:
- PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay and beverages divisions have united for the marketer’s 2023 NFL kickoff campaign, titled "Unretirement," per a press release. The company has also signed Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen to a multiyear deal.
- In the 60-second “Back to Football” hero spot, NFL legends Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and Randy Moss contemplate returning to the game before the ad demonstrates how difficult that would be for the retired greats. The commercial, also available in 15- and 30-second cuts, will debut Sept. 10 and run through the season.
- Doritos, Lay’s, Tostitos, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Starry and Mtn Dew are featured in the creative, which continues the marketer’s long-running relationship with the league and comes as Pepsi celebrates its 125th anniversary and puts Zero Sugar front and center in its portfolio.
Dive Insight:
PepsiCo is bringing some of the key brands on its roster together to help kick off the 2023 NFL season with a star-studded ad worthy of the Super Bowl. The “Unretirement” campaign enlists Hall of Fame talent and the company’s latest ambassador, star quarterback Josh Allen, to link its snack and beverage offerings with the highly anticipated return of pro football.
“Our brands are synonymous with the gameday experience,’ said Greg Lyons, CMO of PepsiCo Beverages North America, in a statement. “Gameday is about enjoying friends, family and football — getting lost in the excitement and those moments when the pop of a can or the first crunch of a chip is heard.”
For Hall of Famers Marino, Smith, Rice and Moss, soda and chips will have to suffice, as the humorous “Back to Football” spot illustrates how difficult it would be for them to step back onto the field. In the ad, Marino needs reading glasses to see his play call wristband while Smith falls asleep on the bench. Along with NFL legends, the spot features current star Allen, demonstrating PepsiCo’s ongoing connections with top league players. The commercial is soundtracked by Eminem’s “Without Me,” a song that includes the refrain, “Guess who’s back?”
The effort also knowingly nods to the trend of players “unretiring,” Brett O’Brien, chief marketing officer of Frito-Lay North America, explained in the release. The ad’s epilogue features longtime teammates Julian Edelman and Tom Brady, the latter of whom states, “Unretirement? Who’d be dumb enough to do that?” Brady infamously retired for just 40 days in 2022 before retiring “for good” (for now) in February 2023.
While Pepsi is no longer the sponsor of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the brand has remained the official soft drink of the NFL for over two decades. The marketer has recently made its Pepsi Zero Sugar brand a key part of the NFL relationship, naming it the “Official Zero” sponsor of the upcoming season. The “Unretirement” campaign from parent PepsiCo arrives after Pepsi kicked off 125 days of promotions on Aug. 28 to commemorate its 125th anniversary, a promotional blitz that implements a redesigned logo.
