2015 Winners & Shortlists

PEPSI REUNIONS

Short List
BrandPEPSICO INTERNATIONAL
Product/ServicePEPSI
EntrantIMPACT BBDO Cairo, EGYPT
Entrant Company IMPACT BBDO Cairo, EGYPT
Advertising Agency IMPACT BBDO Cairo, EGYPT
Advertising Agency 2 IMPACT BBDO Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Media Agency OMD Cairo, EGYPT
Production Company ASAP Cairo, EGYPT

The Campaign

Political turmoil in Egypt across the past years caused unprecedented political divide not only between parties but also between the people. So Pepsi took this challenge upon itself to bring back the people together, but how can a bottle of soda share a message everyone would embrace? We know that if there was one thing we all agreed upon, it was that we all miss the days when we were united as one. We couldn’t launch an ordinary campaign revolving around a product; we had to create content that was true in order to touch people’s hearts. We created a music video where we brought together the six most iconic celebrity groups of Egypt, but what makes their reunion extraordinary is that they weren’t seen together for over 20 years. Each selected group was nostalgic by all means, as they were icons during the time of Egypt’s unity, and by bringing them together we aimed for every single Egyptian watching to relive this unity once more.

Success of the Campaign

The results were groundbreaking, as the music video’s soundtrack became the most requested song on radio in Ramadan. Digitally, the music video became the most mentioned topic on Twitter in Ramadan. The user generated hashtag #thankyoupepsi. Pepsi itself received over 93 million impressions online, over 1 billion Twitter impressions alone, and became the most watched branded content in the history of the Middle East with over 15 million views. Pepsi also managed to grow its volumes to 107% on overall company performance, while achieving 130% on the 2-liter multi serve pack and 115% on the 1-liter multi serve pack. The volume drive was accompanied by an increase in the taste parameter by a record 9+. But what truly marks the success of our campaign is that people stopped talking about their differences and instead began talking about times that brought them once together… all this, in less than a month.

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

This was a full-fledged 360 campaign which was integrated on all mediums available. First off, the music video was released as an online viral video. Later that day on TV during the second week of Ramadan. It was followed by radio, where the song was released on standard rotation on some of the most popular radio stations in Egypt. We then brought this music video to life by asking everyone to dig out old photos with their loved ones, be it with friends or family, and recreate those memories NOW, by uploading their “Then & Now” photos on any digital platform. For every photo sent in, a bulb was lit in a giant Ramadan lantern in the middle of Tahrir Square, notoriously known as the place where society's divide first took place. Finally, billboards incorporating the celebrity groups were placed around the country, in some of Egypt’s most strategic locations.

Credits

Name Company Role
Hussam Mourou Impact BBDO Cairo Executive Creative Director
Emile Tabanji Impact BBDO Cairo Managing Director
Philippe Berthelot Impact BBDO Dubai Business Director
Mohamed Abdel Rehim Impact BBDO Cairo Regional Head Of Tv Production
Mohamed Hammad Impact BBDO Cairo Group Account Director
Carla Hassan Pepsico International Chief Marketing Officer
Hussam Dabbous Pepsico International Chief Marketing Director
Tamer El Refai Pepsico International Marketing Director
Mostafa Hamza Impact BBDO Cairo Associate Creative Director
Bassem Gad Impact BBDO Cairo Associate Creative Director
Wael Khairy Impact BBDO Cairo English Copywriter
Mostafa Samy Impact BBDO Cairo Graphic Designer
Ahmed Tarabily Impact BBDO Cairo Editor
Ahmed Fahmy Impact BBDO Cairo Senior Account Manager
Hebatullah Essawy Impact BBDO Dubai Account Manager
Baher Eid Impact BBDO Cairo Senior Account Executive
Amin El Masry ASAP Executive Producer