Cricket has always been a big part of the entertainment industry in India. The sport is so large that anything associated with it is guaranteed to bring in big bucks! PepsiCo has always been associated with cricket through is best known drink Pepsi. There is always a new Pepsi commercial every time there is a major cricket event around the corner.
Who gets to be the brand ambassador?
The cricket star chosen to be the brand ambassador for any Pepsi commercial will depend on who seems to be the crowd's favourite for that point in time. In fact because favourites change so very often you will find that there is a new ambassador with every new season or event.
Cricket promotions with Bollywood stars
The Pepsi cricket promotions do not necessarily have to be all about just cricket stars. Campaigns have often included major Bollywood stars as well. An example could be taken from the Pepsi World Cup campaign of 2002 which was endorsed by celebrities like Fardeen Khan, Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Later Pepsi commercials that have been aired during cricket matches have featured the next generation Bollywood actors like Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor as well. These younger faces cater to the youth of today.
The famous faces that have endorsed the brand in the past
Pepsi has had its fair share of famous cricketers who have endorsed the brand over the years. Some of these faces still endorse the brand till date and have been a major influence on how the public at large perceives the drink. The faces are Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Sing, Mohd. Kaif, Zahid Kahn, Sachin Tendulkar and Laxman. For those who will remember, there was also a Pepsi commercial that featured the entire Indian cricket team under the caption the Men in Blue'.
Cricket and endorsements taken to the next level
This year Pepsi did something completely different. They launched a TV commercial that was a game as well. The ad was launched to coincide with the beginning of the DLF IPL season 3. Besides having some of the newer faces from the film industry, the film also features well known Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt. The game ran for almost the entire season of the IPL and it had youngsters all over the nation eagerly participating in it.