PepsiCo India has won the Best Creative Video Campaign award at the Spotify Hits ceremony for its vibrant ‘7UP SpiceIt Playlist’. The campaign blended music discovery with visual storytelling, engaging young listeners through mood-based playlists and platform-native videos, reinforcing 7UP’s energetic identity and PepsiCo’s strength in digital innovation.
In a year filled with bold brand ideas and platform-first experiments, PepsiCo India has added another major win to its creative arsenal, picking up the award for Best Creative Video Campaign at the Spotify Hits ceremony for its vibrant and inventive ‘7UP SpiceIt Playlist’ initiative. The recognition marks a moment of pride not only for the company but also for an industry increasingly defined by the fusion of audio, video and digital-first storytelling.
The 7UP SpiceIt Playlist campaign stood out for the way it turned a simple idea into an experience powered by music, mood, and youth culture. At a time when young consumers are switching seamlessly between screens and sound, PepsiCo found the perfect home for the campaign in Spotify, India’s leading music-streaming platform. The result was a video-driven engagement model that tapped into the energy of playlists, the emotional pull of music discovery and the growing appetite for short-form audiovisual content woven into daily listening habits.
The win reflects a strategic shift in the way FMCG brands are collaborating with platforms and creators to tell richer, more immersive digital stories. The 7UP campaign was built on the insight that music remains one of the strongest emotional connectors for India’s Gen Z and young millennials. Instead of delivering a standalone ad, PepsiCo used Spotify’s ecosystem to create a campaign that felt participatory—something listeners didn’t just watch passively but experienced as part of their music journeys.
The ‘SpiceIt Playlist’ idea aligned perfectly with 7UP’s youthful, quirky personality, taking inspiration from the beverage’s refreshing and spicy variant messaging. By building playlists themed around energy, fun, and flavour, the brand captured the sensory spirit of the drink while tapping into Spotify’s massive, hyper-engaged youth audience. The campaign created a hybrid content format that combined visual storytelling with the audio moods listeners were already seeking—an approach that resonated strongly with the judges at the Spotify Hits ceremony.
The platform praised the campaign for its “innovative integration” of video within the traditionally audio-led environment of Spotify. It also highlighted how the brand successfully brought music and branding together without disrupting the user experience. Instead, the videos blended seamlessly into Spotify’s feed, adding creative value to the listening experience rather than interrupting it. This is where the campaign’s strength truly lay: it enhanced rather than intruded.
For PepsiCo India, the award signals the growing importance of investing in entertainment-led brand-building. As attention spans shrink and consumers flock toward platforms where they can curate their own experiences, brands are expected to meet them in spaces that feel personal, fluid and fun. The 7UP SpiceIt Playlist was crafted precisely with this mindset. It embraced the idea that modern campaigns need to be modular, snackable and tailored to the digital environments in which young audiences live.
Industry observers say the Spotify win underscores a broader trend in audio streaming, where video formats such as Spotify Clips are opening new doors for brands. Instead of treating audio platforms as static spaces for jingles or voice-driven ads, marketers are experimenting with visual overlays, influencer-led video content, and playlist-driven storytelling to increase engagement. For 7UP, this meant using vibrant video snippets that played off the beverage’s lively identity while directing listeners toward curated playlists that matched different moods and moments of the day.
The award also reflects the strength of PepsiCo’s long-standing relationship with digital innovation. Over recent years, the company has consistently pushed boundaries across platforms, from AR experiments to creator collaborations and interactive social campaigns. The ‘SpiceIt Playlist’ adds another milestone to that journey, proving that the brand understands how to integrate its marketing into the cultural spaces where young people spend their time.
The Spotify Hits ceremony itself has become a prestigious platform for recognising excellence in digital creativity, particularly campaigns that rethink how brands can interact with listeners. Winning in the Best Creative Video Campaign category places PepsiCo alongside some of the most forward-thinking marketers in the country, acknowledging its ability to evolve with cultural and technological shifts.
Internally, PepsiCo India teams expressed excitement over the victory, calling it a testament to the collaborative effort between creative partners, media agencies and Spotify’s brand partnership teams. The sentiment across the board was one of gratitude and pride, with the recognition validating the brand’s approach to consumer-centric storytelling.
As India’s digital landscape continues to grow exponentially, brands across categories are re-evaluating how they show up on platforms like Spotify. The rise of streaming culture has brought with it new rules, new opportunities and new creative canvases. For many marketers, the 7UP campaign will likely serve as a case study in how to think beyond traditional ad formats and instead create experiences that become part of the audience’s daily rhythm.
Looking ahead, PepsiCo is expected to build on this momentum, with 7UP likely to continue experimenting with culture-driven, youth-facing storytelling. The brand has consistently positioned itself at the intersection of refreshment and pop culture, and innovations like the SpiceIt Playlist reinforce its commitment to staying culturally relevant.
The win also highlights the growing importance of music in digital marketing. As Gen Z continues to shape the trajectory of entertainment consumption, playlists, audio discovery and integrated video formats are becoming indispensable tools for brands that want to stay visible and memorable. The 7UP campaign’s success is a reminder that the future of brand engagement will be rooted in content ecosystems that combine visual appeal with emotional resonance.
With the Spotify Hits award now in hand, PepsiCo India has not only earned recognition but also strengthened its positioning as one of the country’s most dynamic and youth-conscious marketers. The 7UP SpiceIt Playlist may have begun as a creative experiment, but it has now been cemented as a benchmark for what effective audio-visual campaigns can achieve in the era of streaming-first storytelling.
As PepsiCo celebrates this milestone, one thing is clear: innovation in advertising is no longer defined solely by where brands appear, but by how deeply they integrate into the moments that consumers value. And in that sense, the 7UP SpiceIt Playlist hit all the right notes—literally and creatively.
