New global positioning for Pepsi

A large cube structure appeared on London’s Southbank in March marked only with the hashtag, #LIVEFORNOW. The cube was part of a Pepsi experiential event and used technology to provide visitors with sensory experiences culminating in a taste experience; the Pepsi soft drink.

The cube featured a digital wall that appeared to be made of ice, with a man banging on the ice from behind. A digital floor created the illusion of ice that cracked as visitors walked on it and the #LIVEFORNOW hashtag was projected up on a wall of fog. A combination of video technology, sound, and interactive sensors, created a completely immersive experience. The sensory experience formed a whole with the Pepsi taste, incorporating the product into the experiential activity with free samples given away and personalised products given to cube visitors.

‘Live for now’ is Pepsi’s first global campaign and represents the brand’s new global positioning. Pepsi conducted research among its consumers and found that Pepsi drinkers enjoyed living in the moment, something that has been absorbed by the Pepsi brand’s core ethos. The live events, rolled out across the world, are designed to build engagement with the Pepsi brand through this set of values.

Brad Jakeman, president at Global Enjoyment Brands, PepsiCo says, “‘Live for now’ is considerably more than a positioning statement or a single ad creative – it is the central governing idea for the brand globally. Pepsi has always inspired people to embrace the ‘now’ by being at the epicentre of, and helping to define, pop-culture. ‘Live for now’ embodies a mind-set that is true of Pepsi loyalists around the world, while still connecting with a large and growing number of consumers who share the same values. It will enable the brand to deepen its global equity in a relevant and authentic way, and has already inspired a differentiated way of thinking about brand behaviour across the entire Pepsi global marketing system.”

Arcstream AV, specialist providers of interactive technology, supplied the Southbank cube’s video wall, interactive floor, and a fog screen, to create an immersive Pepsi world. DesignScene commissioned the experiential cube.