As the league, the players, the fans, the sponsors and the ad industry all gears up for the Big Game, Lady Gaga and Pepsi are rolling out a pre-game #PepsiHalftimeShow preparation campaign showcasing the singer’s preparation for the 5 February Super Bowl.
The campaign is led by a set of behind-the-scenes online films offering sneak peaks into the singer’s journey towards her showpiece gig.
The series was launched in early December with the #PepsiHalftime ‘Fanifesto With Lady Gaga’ spot: a two-minute digital video exploring the singer’s love for her fans and introducing a ticket sweepstakes driving fans to the brand’s halftime show digital hub at http://www.pepsihalftime.com.
This was followed later in December with a #PepsiHalftime ‘Guest Of Honour With Lady Gaga’ video – a further part of the ticket competition
In the middle of January the next phase of the pre-show marketing online video programme rolled out in the form of a further four-minute film focusing on #PepsiHalftime ‘Choreography With Lady Gaga’ and taking viewers behind the scenes of Gaga’s rehearsals in a Burbank (California) studio.
Gaga’s journey to the show is, of course, also being heavily promoted across all of the brand’s digital and social platforms – including Twitter
Hold on to your hats! Your first look #BTS of #PepsiHalftime as @RICHYSQUIRREL gets @LadyGaga's dancers ready to make us Feb 5th! pic.twitter.com/NlteGrS7Wa
— Pepsi™ (@pepsi) January 18, 2017
and Instagram.
‘I am absolutely beyond elated and honoured to be doing the halftime show,’ comments Gaga.
‘We’ve been already planning it, and thinking of all the different ways we can make this a special experience for the football fans.’
‘This is obviously a humongous platform. This is probably the greatest 12 minutes of our lives,’ explains Gaga’s longtime choreographer Richy Jackson.
We have handpicked dancers that Gaga and I have worked with for the past 10 years. This sort of platform that we have at the NFL halftime show goes to those who have helped us along the way to get here. So it’s going to be like a big reunion.’
‘I’ve been planning this since I was 4, so I know exactly what I’m going to do,’ Gaga confesses.
‘For me, it’s all about giving to the fans and bringing people together that wouldn’t normally come together,” she says. “The thing is, it’s such a big world stage in terms of how many people see it and it’s been done so many times. I think the challenge is to look at it and say, ‘What can I do differently? How can I elevate certain little things here and there, and also make it about the music?’ This is where I’m supposed to be.’
The #PepsiHalftime show is also promoted across the brand’s social channels with daily Fan Countdown content with a blend of music and sports star fronted assets.
Here we go! Only 12 days to go until #PepsiHalftime! Catch all the #BTS action & full #FanCountdown at https://t.co/Fq0Nb5y3en pic.twitter.com/BnddvEZ8Jq
— Pepsi™ (@pepsi) January 24, 2017
.@Thee_AR15 looking helping us countdown to #PepsiHalftime—11 days to go! Head to https://t.co/lBIvbd9Cum for the latest #BTS and more. pic.twitter.com/RhMxZXB6tL
— Pepsi™ (@pepsi) January 25, 2017
.@NickMangold putting that beard to work for our Fan Countdown! Post your own w/ #FanCountdown + #PepsiHalftime and we might share! pic.twitter.com/VnvRUBqAi9
— Pepsi™ (@pepsi) January 23, 2017
Get into it! Show us your own in a with #FanCountdown + #PepsiHalftime and we might RT! pic.twitter.com/vnPQ2EKOwI
— Pepsi™ (@pepsi) January 22, 2017
Comment:
The NFL’s showpiece game and the biggest annual US sports event, Super Bowl 51, will takes place in NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
January’s online video racked up 111,892 YouTube views in its first 48 hours, but it is just one of several Super Bowl activation strands from the multi-category NFL partners PepsiCo.
The Halftime Show campaign was launched at the same time as another PepsiCo category campaign leveraging the Big Game: a joint initiative by partner brands Pepsi and Tostitos that is led by a spearhead commercial starring Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco called ‘Party Poopers’.
The spot sees Flacco embark on a mission to help the party-challenged.
Published on 17 January, this commercial has already racked up 2,911,022 YouTube views
This 2017 commercials follows on from his ‘Party Fail’ spot for last year’s Super Bowl and its associated wider Pepsi/Tostitos 2016 Super Bowl campaign (see case study).
Other parallel Pepsi campaigns that have been rolling out through the NFL season and the Playoffs include its star player fronted #BreakOutThePepsi TV commercial series and its digital/social #ZoneReads series (see case study).
For our review of Pepsi’s NFL and Super Bowl sponsorship activation strategy see our previous case study here.
Links:
Pepsi
http://www.pepsihalftime.com
http://www.Pepsi.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/Pepsi
http://www.Twitter.com/Pepsi
http://www.Facebook.com/Pepsi
http://www.Instagram.com/Pepsi
TBWA Chiat Day:
http://tbwachiatday.com/
NFL:
http://www.nflshop.com/source/bm-nflc…
