PepsiCo, Guy Watcher - Super Bowl
An attractive man walks down the street, sipping on a Diet Pepsi, to the tune of the Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive," from Saturday Night Fever.
He has no idea that everyone is staring at him. Two female police officers look over, obviously impressed. Other women raise their eyebrows, even following him -- including a smalldog. Then, in a twist, supermodel Cindy Crawford takes off her sunglasses to get a better look at him.
Crawford appeared in other Pepsi ads much like this one, the first of which aired in 1991. It was Crawford who attracted all the attention in those ads, turning heads everywhere she went, although the dialog indicated that onlookers were more impressed with her drink choice than Crawford herself.
But the handsome man has another famous fan: Carson Kressley, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's fashion savant. He passes the Diet Pepsi drinker, removes his sunglasses, and turns to look him up-and-down. Kressley's jaw drops in awe.
The man then realizes that a crowd has gathered, and he looks around mystified as the woman ogle him. The Diet Pepsi logo and tagline, "Light. Crisp. Refreshing," appear on the last frame.
The ad debuted during the Super Bowl, where Pepsi was the No. 2 advertiser across brands, second only to Anheauser-Busch.
Describing the ad's creative approach, Pepsi spokesman David Diciccio says, "On the Super Bowl, we're generally looking for entertainment value and a big surprise that will get people talking. Carson made for the perfect surprise. He's so well known, and when you're looking for entertainment value, he's a great place to start."
Asked if Pepsi wasn't concerned with conservative backlash on the gay-friendly commercial, he says, "It's something you take into consideration, but it wasn't a major factor in our focus groups." He adds that the focus groups weren't limited to NYC, but were geographically dispersed.
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