Nearly 20 years after Pepsi debuted its “Roman Empire” ad featuring Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and Pink, the soda brand is back with a new “Gladiator II”-themed campaign titled “Make Your Gameday Epic” — and this time around, Megan Thee Stallion, Travis Kelce and more are front and center.
The new ad also features a new song from Megan (which is kicked off with the stomp, stomp, clap from Queen’s “We Will Rock You”).
“I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of the legends who appeared in this Gladiator campaign 20 years ago and proud to have carved my own new legacy,” Megan Thee Stallion said. “Pepsi really brought the worlds of music, sports and entertainment together in a powerful way to set off the new NFL season. It was fun putting my creative flip on such an iconic Queen song and I can’t wait for the Hotties to hear it!”
The Paramount-Pepsi ad is inspired by the upcoming Ridley Scott film “Gladiator II,” just as the original ad was inspired by Scott’s first “Gladiator” in 2000. The commercial’s director Jake Scott said, “Bringing the epic world of ‘Gladiator II’ to life in a modern, dynamic way through this Pepsi campaign was incredibly exciting.
“We wanted to create a visual spectacle that captured the energy and intensity of the sport while also paying homage to the iconic film and the original Pepsi campaign. The collaboration with Pepsi and the incredible talent involved made this project truly unforgettable.”
“What started as a theatrical brand partnership evolved into one of the biggest promotional programs in our company’s history—spanning across theatrical marketing, CBS Sports and the Paramount Global networks,” said Marc Weinstock, Paramount Pictures’ President of Worldwide Marketing & Distribution. “A film of this scope calls for a truly epic campaign, and we can think of no more fitting collaboration than with one of the most iconic brands in the world.”
Jenny Danzi, head of brand marketing at Pepsi, also said in a statement, “This gladiator-inspired campaign is a contnuaton of our brand’s long history of being on the forefront of culture, collaborating with iconic artists and celebrating football. Consumers are going to see the scale of this campaign everywhere they shop, making sure everyone is geeng ready for gameday this fall with football, food, and ice-cold Pepsi.”
“This seismic campaign captures the essence of the excitement and anticipation fans have for gameday and delivers the kind of entertainment our audience has come to expect from us!”
