• by Danielle Oster , August 31, 2023

PepsiCo popped open its marketing efforts for the fresh football season with a broadcast ad for both its beverage and Frito-Lay’s snack brands featuring a lineup of all-time greats, kicking off another year in a decades-long partnership with the NFL.

"The kickoff to football season fuels the anticipation fans experience when they're about to see their favorite players on the field after months away," Frito-Lay North America CMO Brett O'Brien said in a statement.

The 60-second “Unretirement” spot plays off this anticipation with a group of retired former superstars -- Dan Marino, Randy Moss, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith -- pondering a return to the league. Their reverie doesn’t last long, however, as the practicalities of grinding it out on the field while facing the realities of aging -- from fighting off the urge for the afternoon nap to vision loss -- makes them realize that, like most viewers, they’d rather take in the game from the comfort of their couch.

The ad also takes the opportunity to introduce Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who recently signed a multiyear deal with PepsiCo to promote products across its portfolio. Allen takes the opportunity to nab a selfie with a sacked Dan Marino, before concluding with a self-referential moment between former teammates Tom Brady and Julian Edelman.

“Unretirement” makes its debut on Sept. 10 during the premiere NBC Sunday Night Football broadcast and will continue to run throughout the 2023-2024 NFL season.

"Our brands are synonymous with the gameday experience," PepsiCo Beverages North America CMO Greg Lyons said in a statement, something the company sought to amplify further with marketing efforts for this season, he added,

The campaign kickoff follows the news that PepsiCo expanded its relationship with the league to make Pepsi Zero the NFL’s official zero-sugar soda. It also comes amid Pepsi’s ongoing celebration of its 125th anniversary.