• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 4, 2013

Pepsi has joined forces with Tr3s, MTV’s music and lifestyle channel for young Hispanics, to help raise the profile of Pepsi’s “Vive Hoy” (Live for Now) program -- a Hispanic-targeted complement to the brand’s broader Live for Now campaign, which uses music to resonate with young consumers.

The Pepsi-Tr3s partnership includes a sweepstakes offering participants the chance to tag along, roadie-style, with 3BALLMTY (pronounced “Tribal Monterrey”), a trio of Mexican techno-pop DJs who won the Best New Artist award in the 2012 Latin Grammys.

Tr3s has also invited 3BALLMTY, along with recording artists Prince Royce, Jesse y Joy, and Chino y Nacho to host four episodes of “Music My Guey,” where they will share their favorite music videos.

Noting that 72% of millennials share music on their social networks, Tr3s brand manager Fernando Gastón stated: “This co-branded marketing campaign is driven by the intersection of TV and social media, where we build strategies that create digital engagement, an on-the-ground music experience as well as on-air elements.”

Pepsi’s “Vive Hoy” campaign has focused on acquiring cultural cachet with key youth demographics by identifying and promoting new and emerging artists, including creating its own record label, Blue Can Music, in partnership with Universal Music Group. Earlier this year, 3BALLMTY wrote a song specifically for the Pepsi campaign, appropriately titled “Vive Hoy,” which was released as its own single throughout Latin America.

While music plays a major role in the “Vive Hoy” campaign, Pepsi has also tapped into young Hispanics’ enthusiasm for sports. The campaign kicked off in 2012 with a spot featuring Argentinean soccer idol Lionel Messi.