Every year I set the DVR, rearrange the furniture, stock up on salty snacks and spend a few hours watching television commercials with some football to break it up. This year a perennial contender bowed out, opting instead to put their mouth where their money was. Instead of fighting it out with lite beer and sports cars, Pepsi choose to put their energy, and sizable budget, into social media.
Leaving other predictable brands in ever-predictable broadcast media, the other cola promoted their latest initiative, the Pepsi Refresh Project. And while it hasn’t received the buzz of the ManCrunch, Tebow or Betty White/Snickers spots, the industry will be watching and taking note of just what happens when one of their own decides to sit out the Super Bowl. Refresh, indeed.