2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

Pepsi wanted to bring the event to all music lovers across the region – all those that couldn’t make their way to Dubai but loved music and wanted to be part of the action. Pepsi also wanted to show they’re supporters of undiscovered talent and provide passionate music lovers with the access to be seen, heard and take the stage.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Pepsi created a platform, accessible across PC, Mobile and Tablet that streamed the bands performance live! Viewers would engage in real time by voting for their favourite band and act. Viewers could chat with one another through live comments and share content of the performance immediately after this was complete to spread the word on the action.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

Bandslam was huge success for the brand and audience. Pepsi showed the region that they’re lovers of music and lovers of undiscovered talent (as well as sponsoring the entire event). Fans of the brand were brought the action, live, to their pc, mobile and tablet from one of the regions biggest music events. The results clearly showed the success with 24 performances played by the bands, the site achieved 30,000 visits in just 4 days with 80% of visitors returning to see the action.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Branded entertainment in the region is prevalent however; there is a fine line (too fine) between ‘entertainment’ and ‘advertising’. Pepsi’s engagement in the ‘entertainment’ arena with branded content ensures the core objective is not to sell a product but rather sell the brand image, association and credibility in their chosen areas (brand love). With mass reach as an objective, a budget to support such an activity and achieve success could be seen as a real barrier. The value of the content must be something they’re willing to share. Viewers must be the brands vehicle to achieve the KPI of reach.