At the start of the 2021/22 NFL season, primary partner Pepsi rolled out a platform called ‘Pepsi Trash Talk’ which sees the soft drinks giant team up with a group of NFL stars to teach consumers ‘the do’s and don’ts’ of recycling.
Part of the company’s umbrella sustainable transformation commitment, the initiative is hubbed around an information-led branded website which hosts a series of PSAs: these spots sees football stars – including Anthony Barr, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen and Chase Claypool – share recycling best practice and break down which packaging materials can and can’t be repurposed.
PSA: We're taking the trash talk from the field to the recycling bin with #PepsiTrashTalk. See more at https://t.co/Dqv2LxBEof pic.twitter.com/L3Sc9VablO
— Pepsi (@pepsi) September 15, 2021
The site also features an interactive game where users/players control a Pepsi-branded recycling bin that catches falling waste: when the bin moves under an object that isn’t recyclable – like an apple core or single-use plastic bag – the user/player gets a strike and explainer notification.
Pepsi is supporting the initiative with a ‘robust media plan’ including an ambassador partnership with former NFL super star Deion Sanders – the so-called ‘king of trash talk’- which links to his Barstool Sports show ‘21st and Prime’.
Comment:
This mix of sponsorship, ambassadors, information detail, PSAs and gameification offers an array of tactics others can employ to teach consumers about the vital role of recycling and to dispel misconceptions about which materials can be repurposed.
This NFL-linked campaign is part of parent company PepsiCo’s major new ‘pep+’ initiative which aims to transform the company to a more environmentally friendly organisation.
“Pep+ is the future of our company: a fundamental transformation of what we do and how we do it to create growth and shared value with sustainability and human capital at the center,” said Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo’s chairman and CEO in a press statement. “It reflects a new business reality, where consumers are becoming more interested in the future of the planet and society.”
‘Pepsi Trash Talk’ may only be one consistent part of a wider company-wide project, but it does serve as an early indicator of just how one of the world’s biggest largest food and beverage companies (it owns no fewer than 23 $bn brands) might use its media and marketing strength and celebrity endorser stable to educate consumers about ecology and sustainability.
It launches less than a week after NFL regular-season kick-off and as Pepsi, a longstanding league sponsor, ramps up its consumer-facing marketing around pro football through a ‘Made for Football Watching‘ platform, its ‘Dapper Dan Kick-Off Capsule Collection‘ and its ‘Rookie Of The Week’ activation.
We’re upping our game with a special honor. Vote every Tuesday to send your favorite rookie home with the Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Week Championship Belt.
Vote on Twitter with #PepsiROW + the player’s name/Twitter handle or visit https://t.co/DjfYEJoC9x pic.twitter.com/oNW1wOQDWO
— Pepsi (@pepsi) September 14, 2021
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