TVC: Pepsi–Oh yes abhi
By Malay Desai From: JWT India The first film of the beverage giant’s new campaign presents the thought that the youth want everything, now. Harping upon a new tagline, the film is a five-pronged montage. While actor Priyanka Chopra is shown itching to perform live, co-brand ambassador Ranbir is impatient to dart off from traffic and grab a cola. Cricket icon MS Dhoni’s World Cup winning shot footage is followed by studio shots of him dancing while a football match’s goal and a girl getting tattooed provide two more parallels. The spot begins with Ranbir and PC’s voiceovers before a jingle takes over from mid-way. Do we like Michael Jackson in the 80s: ‘Choice of a new generation’; Ray Charles in the 90s: ‘Had the right one, baby’; Closer home, Azhar: ‘Nothing official about it’ and Sachin and SRK: ‘Yehi hai right choice baby’ and ‘Yeh dil mange more’. Cut to 2013, it takes Ranbir, Priyanka Chopra, Dhoni and some random punks to carry the Pepsi tagline legend forward. ‘Oh yes abhi’, they say. Face, meet palm. It is difficult to talk about a fresh cola campaign without pointing at its baggage or its peers. And if one doesn’t, this spot per se falls even flatter. PepsiCo has kickstarted the great Indian summer early. And given that February to June is good time to activate a grandiose campaign, we’re not sure it’s going to get us thirsty for more. To be fair, half the spot is exciting indeed, it revs up considerable tension by showing impatient superstars and young folks itching to do their thing. The rattling bottles and rising bubbles are superb, but once the cap’s open, the fizz is off. A very constipated Ranbir Kapoor is shown dying to grab a Pepsi, Dhoni’s epic World Cup winning six is followed by fake dance shots of him while the football game seems just a pile-on. And while the voiceovers mouth impressive lines at first, a forgettable tune (maybe it’ll catch up with bombarded viewings during cricket matches) takes over, while Dhoni has no lines at all. No ball, boss! Wait, and there are some kids in a Fiat Uno (no, really) suddenly darting toward a beach. Zooming out, the thought of Indian Gen Y showing traits of impatient aspiration and feisty energy holds potential. But it’s nothing path-breaking, Airtel used it in a stellar spot – Impatience is the new life – in 2009, and broadband still seems more relevant for it than a cola brand. We’re not blaming Pepsi’s India-walas entirely for this, for the brand launched its ‘Live for Now’ campaign globally last year. #OhYes Abhi has been integrated in other mediums and we’re already seeing social influencers on Twitter being roped in to push the thought. Keep hitting the catchphrase on our heads everywhere and you never know, we’d all have no option but to like it. But for us, please move this spot to the Pepsi campaigns shelf labeled ‘Whatever’. Oh yes, abhi. To watch the spot, feed this link in your browser - Goo.gl/khpS7
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