Pepsi is rolling out a bold new marketing strategy to recapture consumer attention. The longtime NFL sponsor is doubling down on its “Food Deserves Pepsi” campaign, launched last year, which emphasizes the soda’s role as the ultimate meal companion.
This season, Pepsi is taking the campaign to NFL tailgates across the country, enlisting star players Josh Allen and Justin Jefferson to join its “Pepsi Crashers” in swapping out rival sodas for Pepsi at fan gatherings.
The Pepsi Crashers, undercover agents in blue jumpsuits, are set to storm tailgates at major venues like Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, New York’s MetLife Stadium, and Washington’s Northwest Stadium. The activations aim to create real-time content by capturing fans’ reactions to the soda swaps, moving away from traditional TV ads to immersive, on-the-ground experiences.
“This is not about an ad that’s on TV. This is about living and experiencing our brand proposition in real life,” said Gustavo Reyna, Pepsi’s vice president of marketing.
The campaign marks a significant shift from Pepsi’s previous NFL efforts, which leaned heavily on music and celebrity-packed ads, such as its 2024 campaign tied to Gladiator II, featuring Megan Thee Stallion alongside athletes like Allen, Jefferson, Derrick Henry, and Travis Kelce.
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The new “Pepsi Tailgate Crashers” initiative is more grounded, focusing on authentic game-day rituals. A TV spot launching this week shows Allen and Jefferson trading their jerseys for Pepsi uniforms after a pep talk from the Crashers, then hitting parking lots to distribute the soda to tailgating fans.
“It’s perhaps the most important evolution we’ve had in our football campaigns so far,” Reyna added.
The pivot comes at a critical time for Pepsi, which has seen its market share slip. According to Beverage Digest Data, the classic full-sugar Pepsi (blue can) has dropped to the No. 4 carbonated soft drink in the U.S., overtaken by Coca-Cola’s Sprite at No. 3 and Dr Pepper at No. 2.
While Pepsi’s overall brand, including variants like Pepsi Zero Sugar and Diet Pepsi, holds the No. 2 spot in the category, parent company PepsiCo is facing mounting pressure to reverse declining sales. This pressure intensified after activist investor Elliott Investment Management acquired a $4 billion stake in PepsiCo on Tuesday, signaling expectations for a turnaround.
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