MAM
Will Pepsi blast leave rivals Blue?
MUMBAI: Beverage conglomerate PepsiCo has turned blue for next months cricket World Cup in South Africa and must be hoping that the move will leave the competition feeling blue in its wake. PepsiCo has launched the limited edition World Cup-Special Pepsi Blue in Mumbai. It will also launch a music video, album as well as a variety of promotions.
Pepsi is the third largest brand in the country in terms of consumer spend. A company release claims Pepsi Blue is a whole new beverage experience – an icy blue coloured cola with a refreshing taste.
Pepsi Blue is going to be backed by a multimedia communication package, which will be splashed across the telly, print media, radio, Internet, outdoor, point of sale merchandise and on-ground consumer promotions.
PepsiCo will soon launch two TV Commercials (TVCs) of 30-second duration each, which will communicate the “refreshingly cool” brand profile of Pepsi Blue. The campaign revolves around the idea that Blue is the colour of the Indian cricket team, Blue is the colour of the Indian fan’s passion and we all root for our Men in Blue!
Pepsi will also add a musical note to its World Cup campaigns with a specially composed, peppy number by pop crooner Adnan Sami. The music video of the three-minute song, titled O Ye O, is a record of sorts as it brings together a host of film stars, popular cricketers and common cricket fans.
The video, which is being premiered on Max, features Pepsi brand ambassadors including the Big B, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid .The video will also be the lead song in a music album, being released jointly by Pepsi and Sony Music. Pepsi is set to unleash an innovative consumer campaign during the World Cup, whereby fans can avail of the music album at a special discount.
Syed Usman of Pepsi’s ad agency J Walter Thompson has directed the video. The song is written by Soumitra Karnik, a senior creative director with the agency and set to tune by Adnan. The video, produced by Arjun Jadeja, has been shot on location in Delhi and Mumbai. The video will be subsequently aired on all music channels during the World Cup.
Pepsi also unveiled a promotion the Pepsi Predikta Jackpot! Pepsi will take the four finalists of the promotion for the World Cup Finals, who will then play for the Predikta Jackpot live on TV. The promotion will be telecast across the Sony network till the end of the World Cup. Cricket lovers can earn up to 500 bonus points by answering questions, which will be found only behind Pepsi labels and under Pepsi crowns. Consumers can participate through SMS or landlines. The highest scorer of Pepsi questions will get a direct entry into the final round.
In addition to all this Pepsi is set to launch the Sher Ke Mooh Mein Haath Dalo promo. Yet another consumer campaign Pepsi Piyega Toh Shikari Ban Jayega contest will also offer similar merchandise to guzzlers. Pepsi will put up outdoor and attractive shop signages and merchandising based on the World Cup theme across 2500 outlets across the country aimed at encouraging consumer participation in the promotions and contests. The roads in the cities and towns will also witness the specially designed Pepsi World Cup trucks, which will further add to the excitement.
MAM
Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
