What’s the significance of a name? Quite a bit, especially when you’re seeking a beverage that exceeds mere satisfaction to enhance the flavors of your meal. This is the mischievously bold premise of Pepsi Max’s latest campaign by Special. Dubbed the ‘Tastes OK’ campaign, it represents the newest phase of Pepsi Max’s ‘Tastes Better’ brand platform, shedding light on a subtle flaw embedded in the name of its major competitor. It serves as a reminder to Australians that Pepsi Max elevates the dining experience.
The campaign cleverly draws attention to the underwhelming term ‘OK’ within the competitor’s name, prompting consumers to opt for a superior taste companion by choosing Pepsi Max.
This out-of-home (OOH) centric campaign sends a clear message to consumers of the competitor’s product, indicating they’re settling for mediocrity by not selecting Pepsi Max. The advertisements are prominently displayed on OOH sites nationwide. The media strategy extends to print, digital display, partnerships with publishers, an influencer initiative, and social media channels.
Commenting about the campaign, Vandita Pandey, chief marketing officer ANZ, snacks and beverages at PepsiCo, said, “We have long known that Pepsi Max tastes better than our main competitor and this latest campaign helps us reinforce our position as a challenger brand. Australia’s meals are not being done justice, palates across the nation are being deprived, whilst consumers settle for OK. Working with Special Group to bring to life our bold and disruptive nature with a little light-hearted fun is something we know resonates well with customers.”
Speaking about the creative approach, Simon Gibson and Nils Eberhardt, creative directors at Special said, “Getting briefed to work on the ‘Tastes Better’ campaign is exciting and intimidating in equal measure. It’s such a bold and direct line and it’s led to great work in the past, so we all knew we needed to do something that lived up to it. Then, our competitor did it for us. We saw an image they put out into the world and noticed something we couldn’t unsee.”
