Count the days until Christmas the way you want, with the unconventional advent from Pepsi
Christmas is one of the most anticipated holidays, but it comes with a series of social, material and emotional obligations. Starting from this observation, this year Pepsi wanted to change the perspective and approach Christmas differently.
Unlike other brands that put pressure on this period, Pepsi aimed to represent the diversity of ways in which Christmas is spent and to offer holidays that each person can experience in their own way, however they like, not how “they do what”.
Celebrate the holidays, your style, with Pepsi
What can be more stressful than Christmas? The period before. The pre-Christmas countdown isn’t exactly fun.
“In December, the ‘holiday spirit’ is everywhere. Carols in all the speakers, traditions we must respect, new habits we have adopted in recent years, the rush for gifts and much more. That’s exactly why this year we’re changing the approach and Pepsi encourages you to celebrate in style. An unconventional perspective from the DDB team with consumers in the foreground and a unique way to enjoy the holidays”, said Alexandra Burdulea, Senior Brand Manager at Pepsi.
And he took the first step with DDB Romania by launching the first Unconventional Pepsi Advent. A brave activation, as the brand is already used to, that reinterprets the classic idea of an advent.
“Pepsi is stepping in and helping young people face Christmas even before the holiday is officially here. It’s the first advent calendar that you can scan in any order you want, to receive a funny illustration that will help you free yourself from the pre-holiday pressure,” explains Roxana Niță, Creative Director of DDB Romania.
“If the holidays are spent however you want with Pepsi, we thought of bringing a twist to the famous advent calendar as well. With the young target in mind, we digitized the calendar and made it a bit more rebellious, meaning you can scan any day that piques your curiosity at the moment and find out what it hides. And that, because at Pepsi there are no conventional rules,” said Alexandra Jitărel, Senior Copywriter DDB Romania.
Once you scan, you can unlock a whole variety of content consisting of funny illustrations written in a slightly self-deprecating tone.
“Illustration, as a technique, naturally tends to fill the gap between the real and the imaginary. Not coincidentally, it also proved to be the right way to talk about the “inconvenient” truths of December, little worldly treasures often hidden behind story fluff, optimistic-chance resolutions, giant beanie hats or the smell of a perfectly spiraling peeled orange. To all this I added some courage, a bit of relaxed humor and a hand of involved illustrator – an unrepeatable combination, especially if you think that ‘there is only one Christmas’,” said Teodor Minea, Senior Art Director of DDB Romania.
And because we know that you will surely run through the malls in search of the perfect gifts, we have placed 3 such advent boxes in 3 different malls, some of the most visited in Bucharest:
Park Lake – 9-24 December
Afi Controceni– 18-24 December
Sun Plaza -11 -17 December
You can do it in the activation schedule from 15:00 to 21:00.
Moreover, in addition to the illustrations, we have also prepared prizes (Pepsi cans and a hat with a custom design), which can be unlocked by scanning certain days, we are waiting for you to find out what they are.
The teams that contributed to the campaign were as follows:
DDB Romania:
Creative Director: Roxana Niță
Senior Art Director: Teodor Minea
Senior Copywriter: Alexandra Jitărel
Illustrator & Graphic Designer: Andrei Ilincaru
Strategy Director: Ioana Dobrinescu
Strategic Planner: Georgiana Nica
Account Director: Catălina Biro
Senior Account Executive: Bianca Greaca
Managing Director: Roxana Țâmpău
Pepsi Romania:
Iuliana Dragomir – CSD Senior Lead Romania
Alexandra Burdulea – Senior Brand Manager Pepsi
Diana Băcală – Brand Manager Pepsi
Maria Dorofte – Junior Brand Manager Pepsi
Laurenţiu Ion – Head of Digital & Media, PepsiCo România
Delia Corniciuc – Sr Marketing Manager Beverages, PepsiCo România
OMD:
Razvan Meirosu – Media Director
Maria Ilie – Account Lead
Lucian Enculescu – Head of Digital
Ana Vieru – Digital Manager
Irene Derasadurian – Media Executive
Nicoleta Avram – Media Executive
Mihnea Bunea – Digital Executive
Diana Dîrlău – Media Executive
Luiza Popa – OOH Director