MUMBAI: Beverages conglomerate Pepsi has launched a new TV campaign featuring four international cricketers. The commercial was first shown during the telecast of the first one-day international (ODI) between India and New Zealand recently.

The cricketers involved are Shane Warne, Jonty Rhodes, Carl Hooper and Nasser Hussain. The 30-second ad campaign, shot in Colombo, shows that cricketers can feel very ‘hurt’ if they don’t get their Pepsi. The commercial has been created by Pepsi’s ad agency JWT India and directed by Deven Khote of UTV. The campaign is another irreverent, witty look at cricketers and their common passion for a chilled and refreshing Pepsi.

According to Pepsi Foods executive director (marketing) Vibha Rishi " As we get into the final countdown to the World Cup, this campaign is Pepsi’s tribute to the Indian cricket fan’s passion – India ke liye kuch bhi karega”.

Pepsi now has eight Indian cricketers as its brand ambassadors. The list includes Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. As one of the official sponsors for next year's World Cup cricket in South Africa, Pepsi will use all the names in its portfolio to further imprint the brand identity in the minds of the viewer.

Earlier, Pepsi had ushered in the cricket season with the Cup Fever and its Men in Blue advertising campaigns, directed by Sunhil Sippy and Santosh Sivan respectively. Made by JWT, the two 30-second spots not only had cricket lovers from different walks of life, but also featured Bollywood stars as cricket lovers. Shah Rukh Khan, Fardeen Khan and Kareena Kapoor come together as die-hard cricket fans in the two spots, which will lead up to the World Cup 2003.