Igniting the visceral passion of UEFA football fans

Challenge

Competition and camaraderie

Pepsi, the multinational beverage giant, has a rich and authentic history with football. As one of the most anticipated global sporting events of the year, the UEFA Champions League Final attracts thousands of fans to the host city and provides the uncapped potential for brands to reach audiences globally.

In time with the live Final, Pepsi set out to host an activation at the UEFA Champions Festival to build brand awareness and salience for their highest-profile global sponsorship.

Pepsi’s integrated UEFA marketing campaign “Love it. Live it.” played out across all media during the tournament with the experiential activation being the climax to the project. “Love it. Live it.” featured five superstar football brand ambassadors and their journey from the streets to the stadium.

Our idea for the activation was inspired by the rich cultural heritage of each player as well as the unique culture of football, fueled by competition and camaraderie alike, to connect the audience with the brand in a meaningful way.

Solution

Personalized play

The activation incorporated cutting-edge technology to provide new, innovative, and shareable ways to engage with football and art. Aiming to convert football fans to Pepsi advocates, the experience built on the excitement of the Final and connected football fans in Kiev with the brand in a live environment.

Igniting fan’s love for football and Pepsi’s new innovative flavours, the immersive, hi-tech activation encompassed a 360-degree projected interactive football game, while RFID wristbands fitted with NCT chips captured each fan’s unique personal journey and user-generated content for download and sharing on social media.

Result

Fans loved it AND lived it!

More than 2,000 avid football fans spent 50-plus hours interacting with Pepsi’s activation and engaging with the brand. Over 20,000 Pepsi samples were consumed, in the queue and the design bar, achieving +100 percent of the brand’s target.

The opportunity supplied Pepsi with unique data to inform future strategic planning, garnering more than 3,000 unique registrations. In excess of 4,000 tote bags, tees, pouches, and postcards were gifted to event attendees, leaving football fans with personal memories of their experiences with Pepsi at the Champions League Final.