Pepsi has introduced a new global tagline, “For the Love of it,” that will replace the nearly seven-year-old tag “Live For Now” in more than 100 major markets.
The cola brand will bring the new positioning to life via its packaging, as well as out-of-home, TV and digital advertising. The creative platform is reportedly from Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
Continuing its longstanding association with music, Pepsi has also enlisted Simon Fuller’s newest pop creation Now United—a collective comprised of singers and dancers from 14 different countries (including a Canadian named Josh Beauchamp)—to record a new jingle and mnemonic for the brand.
It’s not the first time Now United has worked with a major brand. Last year, it partnered with Unilever on a three-year, multi-million dollar content deal for its deodorant brand Rexona (which also goes by the name Sure, Degree and Shield, depending on the market) as part of its “Unstereotype” initiative.
“We are confidently celebrating who we are—an iconic brand rooted in entertainment with a refreshing and delicious beverage people around the world love—as well as who our fellow cola lovers are,” said Roberto Rios, senior vice president, marketing, global beverage group, with PepsiCo. “For the Love of it” is our rallying cry, proudly saying to go all in for the things you love—from passions and interests like football and music, to unabashedly enjoying one of life’s favourite treats, Pepsi.”
“Live for Now” became Pepsi’s first global tag when it introduced in 2012, but it has been associated with some significant marketing missteps, most notably Kendall Jenner’s ill-fated 2017 commercial that was ripped on social media for co-opting the Black Lives Matter movement and was later savaged on SNL.
The new tagline was conspicuously absent from a new TV spot that aired during the Golden Globes Sunday night. The ad actually has echoes of the infamous Jenner spot, with a can of Pepsi once again used to resolve a potentially scary moment—though without the tone-deafness. In this case, actor William H Macy gives his pop to an alien in the ad that recalls the movie Arrival.
