• by Erik Oster , February 7, 2024

“It’s me, America’s sweetheart,” Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus,” “Parks & Recreation”) snarks at the beginning of her Super Bowl appearance for Mtn Dew, setting the tone for the rest of the ad.

Entitled “Aubrey Plaza Having A Blast,” the spot finds Plaza falling comfortably back into her trademark deadpan mode, focusing on a series of annoying scenarios (which, for Plaza’s curmudgeonly persona is presumably most scenarios) in which she’s “having a blast,” thanks to Mtn Dew Baja Blast. At a kids’ pool party or getting stuck in an elevator? You better believe she’s still “having a blast.”

Plaza’s perfectly unenthusiastic delivery prior to the concluding scene with Offerman (which marks something of a tonal shift) helps land the comedic concept, while the pair’s reunion could be a crowd-pleaser.

Plaza’s enthusiasm in the concluding scene wasn't feigned, as she told Variety she was happy to reunite with Offerman in the ad, who she said she last saw at SAG-AFTRA strikes prior to the shoot. “It was so fun because I love Nick so much and even though we’re not playing our characters in ‘Parks and Rec’, it does feel in some way like a little April  and Ron reunion [referring to their characters on the show] and I feel like in some alternate universe, this is exactly what they would be doing,” she told the publication.

The ad follows PepsiCo’s decision to make Mtn Dew Baja Blast a part of its brand portfolio available in stores throughout the year. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Baja Blast was previously only permanently available at Taco Bell locations; it was also periodically released in stores through limited seasonal releases during the summer.

A statement in PepsiCo’s Q3 earnings report previously alluded to its plans to relaunch the Baja Blast brand franchise across a number of variations, including Baja Blast Zero Sugar, Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast, Baja Blast Caribbean Splash and Baja Blast Passionfruit Punch, in addition to the original variety. The brand’s Super Bowl ad concludes with a focus on the flagship and Zero Sugar varieties.

The campaign also includes a “Having a Blast” promotional sweepstakes with a limited play clock celebrating the brand’s “20th Bajaversery” on Feb. 11 for a chance to win $20,000.