A late May Pepsi Max promotion unveiled Brazilian pop sensation Anitta as the co-headliner alongside afrobeats star Burna Boy for the UEFA partner’s 10 June 2023 Champions League Final ‘Kick Off Show’.
The social-first campaign, which ran across Pepsi and UEFA platforms, pitched the brand’s pre-game show as ‘an unmissable entertainment spectacle at the biggest annual sporting event in the world’,
Following a record-breaking year headlined by the release of her fifth studio album (‘Versions Of Me’) and a GRAMMY nomination for ‘Best New Artist, the creative reveals that Anitta’s high-energy pop will blend with Burna Boy’s Afro-fusion blend of R&B, hip- hop, dancehall and reggae at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium ahead of the world’s biggest sport’s biggest club fixture.
Building hype ahead of the performance, Pepsi MAX released an energetic short film titled ‘The Prep‘ which brings Anitta and Burna Boy together in ‘classic Pepsi MAX style’. The film features Burna Boy’s ‘It’s Plenty’ and Anitta’s ‘Envolver’ and sees each artist preparing for the ‘Kick Off Show’ in their football-style dressing rooms, before emerging into the players’ tunnel and walking out into the stadium.
Dropping across digital and social channels from 24 May, the ‘Anitta x Burna Boy: UCL Final Kickoff Show Presented by Pepsi’ states that ‘The wait is almost over. Anitta and Burna Boy headlining the biggest #PepsiKickOffShow ever at the UEFA #ChampionsLeague Final is just days away’ and encourages fans to ‘tune in and join them on June 10’.
“I’m so excited that the news is finally out! I’m delighted to be performing at the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi and I can’t wait to co-headline alongside Burna Boy,” commented Aniita in the campaign PR. “We’re going to bring an unmissable show to fans in the stadium and around the world, so make sure to tune in on June 10th – you won’t want to miss this!”
Pepsi Senior Director of Global Marketing Gustavo Reyna stated: “Each year, we are proud to work with the biggest and most exciting names in music to provide first-class entertainment moments for fans around the world. This year’s 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi will be co-headlined by global superstars Anitta and Burna Boy – two artists who embody our ‘Thirsty For More’ philosophy, which celebrates people’s thirst for life – and we’re excited to see fans actively being part of this unmissable show via the #PepsiKickOffShow challenge. It’s going to be a truly fantastic spectacle!”
UEFA Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein added: “This season’s spectacle promises to be unforgettable, with an exciting line-up of artists set to take the stage ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final in Istanbul. We’re proud of our longstanding partnership with Pepsi MAX, which enables us to bring even more excitement to fans and we are looking forward to sharing this season’s UEFA Champions League Kick Off Show by Pepsi with everyone.”
The activation, which runs under Pepsi MAX’s umbrella ‘Thirsty For More’ global platform, promotes a ‘Kick Off Show by Pepsi’ which will air in more than 200 countries and territories globally minutes ahead of club football’s biggest annual game.
Fans are encouraged to tune in to watch the show via their local broadcaster and through the official UEFA YouTube and TikTok channels.
A further special guest is set to be announced in the days leading up to the Final and to tease this reveal fans are encouraged by the sponsor to follow Pepsi on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
This activation stage follows on from the reveal phase which introduced, for the first-time, a campaign strand that sees Pepsi MAX give fans themselves an opportunity to be part of the show via the #PepsiKickOffShow Tik Tock Challenge: which was launched in March and encouraged fans to show off their best ball skills and dance moves.
Comment
This is the seventh year that Pepsi MAX and UEFA have partnered on a flagship Champions League Final music performance which they describe as featuring ‘the most exciting artists in the world’ and ‘uniting football and music fans through one unmissable entertainment spectacle’.
Previous campaigns promoting the UCL Kick Off Show have included 2022’s Camilla Cabellos fronted Kick-Off Show and 2021’s show featuring Marshmello.
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