Pepsi NFL Anthems

Anyone watching NFL football this Fall would be hard pressed to miss one of Pepsi’s NFL Anthems.

Aerosmith’s “Legendary Child” (New England Patriots) and Kid Rock’s “In Detroit” (Detroit Lions) are two of the seven original songs that have been showcased by Pepsi as part of their NFL Anthems marketing campaign.

The television commercials have directed viewers to pepsianthems.com, where fans can download the content in its entirety. A clear attempt to tap into the 15-34 demographic, this campaign has received strong support from both Facebook and Twitter. Links to the video, audio, as well as links to some behind-the-scenes footage, have been promoted by not only the musicians, but also the teams and players themselves.

The NFL Anthems campaign is definitely consistent with Pepsi’s efforts to connect with young people through music. Just six months ago, Pepsi announced a global partnership with Twitter, through which the brand will live-stream concerts and offer weekly audio downloads.

While the seven clips have received significant attention, Pepsi could have been creative in their method for ensuring that the other 25 teams are represented. It makes perfect sense that Pepsi would only sponsor the production of anthems for 7 of the NFL’s more visible teams. There is little doubt, however, that there are artists around the country that would have interest in appearing in videos featured on a Pepsi-sponsored website, if not national commercials.

Why not then sponsor a competition for fans to write their own anthems for those 25 teams that remain? In an era where American Idol, the X Factor, and The Voice all bring in over 10 million viewers nightly, there is little question that this program would garner significant attention. All anthem auditions could be entered via a Pepsi microsite and then funneled through YouTube, with all voting ultimately left to the public.

To encourage voting and website traffic, all votes would earn fans a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to Super Bowl 47. As a cherry-on-top, the two artists that write the anthems for the NFC and AFC Champions, would be invited to New Orleans to perform the songs live during Super Bowl weekend.

This added component would enable Pepsi to tap even deeper into their target demographic for more than the 4-5 minutes it takes to watch a music video on their website. Instead, it would encourage fans to share their favorite anthems via social media, extending the reach of their already-successful marketing campaign without any real substantial costs.