Diet Pepsi Max is extending its "Wake up, people!" ad effort into the National Football League's season in an attempt to boost its sales to men. Three new spots will break prior to the kickoff of the
season and star Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, owner Jerry Jones and new coach Wade Phillips. Like previous executions, the Cowboys will end up yawning during key situations.
The brand is designed to compete with Coke Zero and is laden with ginseng and caffeine. But for guys, who typically shun diet drinks, the ads may only elicit more yawns. "I don't get it," says Ted
Wright, managing partner at beverage marketing company Fizz. "The NFL is a crazy expensive asset to use to put a product before someone who doesn't care."
Diet Pepsi and its new line
extension are Pepsico's main focus in its deal with the NFL, which runs through 2011. The brands are in serious decline with volume down 5.3% in the first half, according to Beverage Digest.
"Consumers are turning away from diet sodas," says Maigread Eichten, CEO at The FRS Company, Santa Barbara, Calif., which makes energy drinks. "They are well-educated about ingredients, and soft
drinks just aren't as popular with people as they age."
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