Pepsi MAX is back with a fresh take on its “Thirsty For More” platform, fronted by none other than David Beckham. This new campaign is about one simple universal message: “If you love it, it’s never a waste.”
“Thirsty For More” is Pepsi MAX’s platform that champions the mindset of going after what you love – big or small – without second-guessing. It’s about choosing to do what you find most fun and enjoyable, regardless of what others might expect. Whether it’s a daily ritual, a personal passion, or a spontaneous decision, Thirsty For More encourages people to lean into what feels right and make everyday moments as enjoyable as possible – because if you love it, it’s never a waste.
Whether it’s football or motorbiking, David Beckham has always gone all-in on what he loves. That’s what Thirsty For More is all about. It’s not about chasing the next big thing – it’s about doing what you truly enjoy, regardless of what others might expect. No pressure. No pretending. Just real moments, lived fully.
Pepsi MAX’s new campaign film celebrates just that. From spending time gaming with friends and dancing at a gig, to belting out karaoke or taking a road trip detour just because – it’s a snapshot of the moments that make life even more fun. The film ends with David Beckham delivering the campaign’s Thirsty For More message: “If you love it, it’s never a waste.”
The UK will be the first market to bring the new “Thirsty For More” campaign to life with a series of bold activations to amplify the new film, which will go live as a 30 second TV spot from early May. A “blue carpet” will be rolled out in unexpected locations across the UK including Cardiff, Manchester and Liverpool, inviting consumers to enjoy flexing their unapologetic style, while the ‘THIRSTY FOR MORE Challenge’ will see Pepsi MAX offering passers-by the chance to seize the moment and do something they really want to enjoy – but with a twist! We’ll see if they choose to grab the opportunity in the moment.
Steven Hind, CMO Beverages, UK&I at Pepsi said: “Our latest campaign empowers people throughout the UK to pursue their passions without any fear of judgement. Thirsty For More is about tuning into what makes you feel alive and enjoying it, unapologetically – and we’re excited to ignite this message nationwide this Spring.”
Long-standing fans may remember some of David Beckham’s most memorable Pepsi ads, including the legendary 2002 “Sumo” match, which saw him, and his teammates go head-to-head with a group of sumo wrestlers. In 2003, Pepsi transformed a Western-style duel into a humorous penalty shootout featuring David Beckham as part of its “Wild West” film, shortly followed by “Football Warriors” in 2004, which saw him using his football skills to help protect the protagonists’ hoard of soft drinks – whilst dressed in warrior guise.
The Indian soft drinks sector is currently experiencing a notable disruption due to the price war initiated by Campa Cola. With the incumbent market leaders, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo joining the price war, it is an all-or-nothing war for a share of the consumer’s wallet in the Indian soft drinks sector, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Parthasaradhi Reddy Bokkala, Lead Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The Campa Cola brand, once a common sight across India when Coca-Cola and PepsiCo did not operate in the country due to regulations, was revived in 2022 by Reliance Retail. Backed by the deep pockets of its parent, Reliance Industries, the company embarked on an aggressive pricing model to capture market share.
“With the INR10 (USD 0.12) price of a 200 ml cola bottle and INR 20 (USD 0.24) for a 500 ml bottle, Campa Cola has undercut PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and other companies’ prices by 50 %, as 200 ml bottles of colas are generally available at a price of INR20 (USD 0.24). To counter this, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo launched promotional pricing for their larger bottles. This led to a lull in the price war as Campa Cola’s distribution reach was still low.”
Francis Gabriel Godad, Consumer Business Development Manager, GlobalData India, notes: “The impact on market leaders Coca-Cola and PepsiCo’s market share was low due to the lack of distribution reach for Campa Cola. Thanks to the gradual increase in Campa Cola’s distribution reach, the situation changed in recent quarters as the aggressive prices and expanded distribution disrupted the operations of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. The two companies have been forced to withdraw from the status quo and increase promotions on their products. For instance, Coca-Cola recently launched a 350 ml bottle (150 ml free) of its flagship Coca-Cola brand at INR 20 (USD 0.24).”
Godad continues: “The predatory pricing has also affected the volumes of non-cola categories and brands. For instance, PepsiCo’s Tropicana and ITC’s B Natural brands suffered volume losses due to the expanding price differential between nectars and colas.”
Reddy concludes: “The price war in the Indian soft drinks sector is a multifaceted issue driven by aggressive pricing strategies, shifting consumer preferences, economic pressures, and a growing focus on health. As companies continue to adapt to these dynamics, the competition is likely to intensify, with potential long-term implications for brand loyalty and market positioning. With all the major players having deep pockets, the market is in for a long-drawn price war, which can lead to a consolidation in the market, as smaller players may not be able to sustain in a long-drawn price war.”
Pepsi® steps into a dynamic new era with a new look and exciting culture-first experiences across sports and music
Pepsi®‘s new look takes flight worldwide, taking over iconic global locations as its first major global redesign in fourteen years was unleashed across over 120 markets. To mark the moment, digital installations – each featuring the re-designed and refreshed Pepsi® globe logo – rose above landmarks worldwide for a digital showcase of Pepsi®‘s new visual identity in a blaze of pulsing electric blue and black, carrying the brand into its new era.
In London, a Pepsi digital installation appeared beside The O2 arena in the east of the city, appropriate to the brand’s long and storied support of international music acts. The view from the nearby cable cars saw an inflatable Pepsi can rise from the water, shortly followed by a light show of drones forming a pulsating dynamic composition in the sky.
A hot air assembly, forming a giant Pepsi logo, took over skylines in Warsaw, Poland and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, each comprised of over 70 balloons.
Elsewhere worldwide, Pepsi put on vast shows in AlUla in Saudi Arabia, on the Nile in Egypt and Ain Dubai, each harnessing innovative technology – giving consumers cutting-edge experiences to discover. Meanwhile, the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Pakistan saw a giant Pepsi can land mid-game, to the audible delight of the onlooking crowd.
The new logo thoughtfully borrows equity from Pepsi’s past whilst incorporating modern elements to create a look that is unapologetically current and undeniably Pepsi. The updated colour palette introduces electric blue and black to bring a contemporary edge to the classic Pepsi colour scheme, whilst the signature Pepsi pulse evokes the “ripple, pop and fizz” of Pepsi-Cola – moving in time to the beat of the music, the roar of the crowd, the heartbeat of culture. The logo was first unveiled in the US and is now launching in over 120 countries worldwide through various consumer touchpoints – spanning digital, experiential and retail.
The international takeover marks the first step in Pepsi’s new, bold era across design, storytelling, and partnerships. Pepsi will continue to drive culture forward in 2024 by delivering one-of-a-kind experiences, all deeply connected to fan passions and desire to live “Thirsty for More”, the brand’s philosophy, which champions anyone who challenges conventions in pursuit of enjoyment, whilst celebrating people’s thirst for the unexpected and eagerness to discover, experience and do more.
Eric Melis, VP, Global Brand Marketing, Carbonated Soft Drinks at PepsiCo, said: “We wanted to show how Pepsi, through this visual identity change, brings to life its brand platform “Thirsty for More”, which is the attitude and mindset our target audience has of always trying new things and living new experiences. What better way to showcase the brand’s transformation than through these iconic installations. We’ve always been a bold brand that challenges conventions, challenges the status quo and always puts enjoyment first. Our new visual identity is bold, unapologetic, modern, and iconic. Our fans can expect the same great taste they’ve come to love with even more of the immersive and entertaining experiences we’re known for across music, sport and culture.
“People worldwide were asked to draw the Pepsi logo as part of the design process and the majority included the Pepsi name as part of our globe – remarkable given that the name and the globe have been separated for the past fourteen years. When we reviewed our new look, we responded to that deep love of our history and tapped into that nostalgia with a firmly modern twist.”
“We have an exciting 2024 ahead of us with our next stop bringing awe-inspiring entertainment to the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show in June in Wembley and more.”
Pepsi continues to move at the speed of culture, delivering on what people are thirsty for – innovative products and iconic collaborations. In 2024, fans globally can expect to see more from Pepsi’s existing partnerships with ambassadors, including Baby Monster (Asia–Pacific), Uraz Kaygilaroglu (Turkey), G.E.M., Dylan Wang and Leo Wu (China).
As a champion of those who like to step out of their comfort zone and enjoy more of what they really like, Pepsi fans across the globe are urged to keep their eyes peeled for more unforgettable experiences that will land later this year.
Over 110 non-alcoholic beverage brands, which include many globally recognised brands, have active sponsorship deals in place with sports properties based mainly in the US. Many of these deals are title or main sponsorship deals, which allow brands to receive substantial brand exposure opportunities, often from sports properties that have substantial global fanbases. With many of the deals being highly lucrative, eight non-alcoholic beverage deals are worth over USD 10 million annually. PepsiCo is the biggest spending brand in the Americas region, with an estimated expenditure of USD 322.96 million, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s latest report “Americas Non-Alcoholic Beverages Sports Sponsorship Landscape,” estimates that the American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation PepsiCo has 55 deals in place, which are worth USD 1 million or more annually. In 2023, over USD 100 million is being invested by PepsiCo in team deals, which include many NFL teams such as the New England Patriots, Washington Commanders, and Miami Dolphins.
PepsiCo’s biggest competitor in the sector is Coca-Cola. In 2023, Coca-Cola is estimated to spend close to USD 277 million on sponsorship deals across the Americas region, according to GlobalData. The brand’s biggest annual deal in the region is with US Soccer. The current five-year agreement between the two parties is estimated to be worth USD 100 million.
Tom Subak-Sharpe, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “It is not surprising that PepsiCo and Coca-Cola dominate the region of all the competing non-alcoholic beverage brands due to the vast amounts of funding that these two powerhouse organisations have to spend on developing their sponsorship portfolios.”
In 2024, it is unlikely that any other non-alcoholic beverage brands will come close to competing with these two brands. However, a brand to keep an eye on who may increase their sponsorship spend and deal volume count is PRIME, the brand that is currently serving as the official sports drink of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Subak-Sharpe concludes: “The meteoric growth experienced by PRIME in 2023 may allow the brand to invest more finances into securing more sponsorship deals with globally recognised sports properties based in the Americas region.
Coca-Cola has launched a new limited-edition Coca-Cola 3000 Zero Sugar within the Coca-Cola Creations platform, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The AI, in cooperation with humans, helped create both the taste and the design of the can, as Coca-Cola tries to identify what the year 3000 would look like for beverages. It is not just Coca-Cola using AI in the soft drinks category. Unilever, owner of PepsiCo, has developed AI tools to optimise various aspects of its business operations. Against this backdrop, the usage of AI in the soft drinks industry is set to grow for the discovery of new flavours and to enhance the efficiency of business operations, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Coca-Cola started with a core question to its customers: What would the year 3000 look like? Consumers were asked how they saw Coca-Cola in the year 3000 via the Coca-Cola Creations platforms. The company then used AI to analyse all the responses to create the framework for the futuristic product based on how people see the future through emotions, ambitions, colours and flavours.
Dragos Dumitrachi, Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Based on these inputs from consumers and its knowledge of beverage trends, the AI created a unique packaging and flavour profile for a carbonate in the year 3000. The packaging format is colourful, with a mix of spherical shapes blended in purple, pink, and blue colours with a pixelated logo, and the AI primarily perceived the future as being sugar-free. This is to be expected as low-calorie carbonates recorded a 39 % growth between 2015 and 2023 globally, with this growth set to continue over the next five years, as consumers increasingly focus on their health and wellness. According to the latest global survey* by Global Data, 81 % of respondents consider that it is nice to have or essential for a product to be good for physical fitness/health.”
Global Data expects the AI market to grow from USD 81 billion in 2022 to USD 90 billion by 2030, with a 35 % compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during 2022-2030. Recent progress in machine learning (ML) on the back of improved algorithms (e.g., Google’s AlphaGo, OpenAI’s GPT-3/ChatGPT, Tesla’s AutoPilot) and increasing computing power have enabled AI to become more widely used in the soft drinks industry.
The AI-driven applications developed by Unilever leverage neural networks and the GPT API is aimed at enhancing the company’s ability to respond to the evolving needs of its consumer base and broader market dynamics. On top of that, Unilever is using AI to identify alternative ingredients that can reinforce the resilience of their supply chains, making their products more sustainable and cost-efficient, and streamlining the number of ingredients without impacting the effectiveness or quality of the products.
Dragos concludes: “The AI market in the soft drinks industry is still in its infancy; the rules and laws that will govern it are still under debate. Global Data is forecasting that the use of AI for supply chain, administrative issues, and the discovery of new flavours and packaging formats in the soft drinks industry will only grow.”
*GlobalData 2023 Q2 Consumer Survey – Global, with 21,595 respondents, published November 2022
On August 28, 1898 in New Bern, North Carolina, pharmacist Caleb Bradham renamed “Brad’s Drink,” his popular non-alcoholic digestif, “Pepsi-Cola.” 125 years later, Pepsi has become one of the world’s most recognisable brands and today, it officially ushers in its next era while honoring its storied legacy, as the brand’s new logo begins to roll out in stores in the US.
In honor of its 125th birthday, Pepsi will celebrate its iconic history where it has lived at the center of pop culture – in sports, music, and entertainment – and look ahead to the brand’s next 125 years. On August 28 the brand started the party by offering free Pepsi to everyone across the US, and over the course of the 125 days leading up to New Year’s Eve, the brand will launch 125 various types of programming including immersive events, social content moments and giveaways. Each touchpoint and its corresponding programming will revisit and reimagine the impactful and culture-driving moments fans have cherished throughout the brand’s rich history just as the new Pepsi logo, which pays homage to past brand looks, comes to life for consumers wherever they shop, dine, play and scroll, ushering in the next era of culture-defining moments.
125 years of trailblazing
Pepsi has been and continues to be a driver of cultural impact and relevance for 125 years. From having the only female professional skywriter draw Pepsi in the clouds to creating iconic moments with some of the biggest pop stars on the planet to making the Super Bowl Halftime Show the most watched 12 minutes of music; from initiating the now iconic ‘Pepsi Challenge’ to trailblazing the idea of lifestyle marketing with music videos as commercials; from creating flavours like Pepsi Wild Cherry and groundbreaking innovations like Nitro Pepsi, time and again Pepsi has found itself on the cutting edge of pop culture, embracing what fans love about culture. And now, Pepsi will pull back the curtain on its history for 125 days, complete with an immersive experience consumers will have to see – and taste – to believe.
Pepsi is unveiling a new logo and visual identity system, the first update of the iconic Pepsi globe logo in 14 years. Pepsi will roll out the new look in North America this fall in time for the brand’s 125th anniversary, and globally in 2024, marking the brand’s next era with an eye toward the future. The new design evolves the Pepsi brand to represent its most unapologetic and enjoyable qualities, and will span across all physical and digital touchpoints, including packaging, fountain and cooler equipment, fleet, fashion and dining. Pepsi plays a critical role in achieving the PepsiCo positive sustainable packaging targets and in the U.S., as of 2022, Pepsi has begun to convert all 20oz bottles of Pepsi, including Pepsi Zero Sugar to 100 % recycled PET. The new logo and visual identity pays homage to the brand’s rich heritage while taking a big leap toward the future.
