Pepsi Sneaks Cola Into Rival’s Territory With Fast-Food ‘Undercover Cups’
Image via Pepsi
Pepsi is bringing some of its zest to fast-food restaurants—and popping some bubbles of the competition while it’s at it. In its latest stunt, entitled Undercover Cups, the beverage giant has snuck its product into some unexpected places to convince diners that Pepsi, and not Coca-Cola, is the perfect companion for their burgers.
And where better to make that argument than right in the strongholds of its biggest rival: McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s?
Pepsi agents visited these popular burger joints—places where Coca-Cola is usually king—and served up the blue drink instead. But they didn’t do it without a little clever disguise. The cups used here were specially designed to look like the branding of the restaurants they infiltrated.
Video screenshot via Pepsi
McDonald’s Golden Arches, for example, transformed into twin letter P's, while Burger King's logo boldly declared “This is Pepsi” in the soft drink’s retro lettering. Even Wendy, the freckled mascot, got a makeover with blue pigtails as she sipped from a Pepsi cup with a wink.
Video screenshot via Pepsi
Timed to coincide with National Fast-Food Day on November 16, the activation featured undercover Pepsi representatives taking their sneaky cola swapping on the road. Using fountain machines installed in their cars, they offered unsuspecting customers a Pepsi instead of their expected Coke—all to prove Pepsi’s claim that its cola's balance of citrusy sweetness and spice notes makes it the ideal burger pairing. The campaign aimed to challenge loyalties by catching people off guard and giving them a taste of something different.
Undercover Cups is the sequel to a recent stunt called Pepsi Chase Cars, where agents intercepted pizza deliveries to add Pepsi to the order. By recommending Pepsi with food in a playful, almost covert way, PepsiCo is hoping to demonstrate just how well it complements your favorite meals.
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[via Campaign, Marketing Dive, Bleeding Cool, Little Black Book, images via Pepsi]
