MUMBAI: Pepsi recently announced the launch of its first ever football themed campaign in India with a new ad film featuring Ranbir Kapoor. The brand takes the campaign forward with a football league format - Pepsi T20 Football.
Pepsi T20 Football is a new format for amateurs, which combines T20 style of playing with the spirit of football. Winners of this nationwide tournament will get a chance to play football the Pepsi T20 way against the Indian cricket stars and get an opportunity to be coached by an international football star.
PepsiCo India category director - colas, hydration and mango based beverages Homi Battiwalla said, "Pepsi T20 Football tournament takes forward the philosophy of ‘Change the Game‘ by taking football outside the conventional domain and giving it a refreshing twist. It is a unique grassroots initiative mounted at a never before scale in India that aims to take the excitement around the sport to the next level. With the involvement of Indian cricketers, Bollywood and an international football star; the campaign promises to excite and engage not only the existing passionate football fans but the entire nation."
Actor Ranbir Kapoor said, "Being a football enthusiast I am glad that Pepsi is taking this initiative to popularise the sport amongst the youth of our country. I am proud to be associated with it and confident that Youngistaan will enjoy the new Pepsi T20 Football format".
To be a part of the Pepsi T20 Football campaign, amateur footballers between the age of 14 and 30 years can register in 7-member teams at designated venues. Open to all Indians, on ground registrations and matches will be organized across major Indian cities including Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Ludhiana and Delhi. The registration process begins with Chennai on 14th March and tournament will continue till June. 64 teams from each city will compete in knock-out style 20-minute matches and the top 32 will compete in the respective city finales. The city finale will be organized in a unique metallic cage at a public venue with lots of music, fun and Pepsi. A total of 8 teams, including 1 winning team from each city and 1 wild card entry will compete to emerge as ‘Game Changers‘. They will then get the opportunity to be coached by an international football star before they face the Cricket Stars at the Grand Finale.
The tournament will be supported by a 360-degree approach including on-air, outdoor & on-ground initiatives; special edition packaging and digital engagement programmes. Pepsi has partnered with ESPN Star Sports, who will produce and showcase the tournament in a special 8-episode series, starting April 2012.
