Right Now: Crystal Pepsi Super Bowl Commercial Turns Twenty

Every year, the Super Bowl delivers a fresh set of commercials to the airwaves, some more memorable than others. Twenty years ago, an advertisement for a new product debuted at Super Bowl XVII, and decades later, I still can't hear the song featured without thinking of the product being advertised, which just goes to show how effective a good advertising campaign can be. I am referring to Crystal Pepsi, the clear cola.
Twenty years ago (yesterday, in fact), Pepsi blasted Van Halen's "Right Now" through our TVs during the Super Bowl in an effort to make known their new product, Crystal Pepsi, a caffeine-free carbonated beverage that they called a taste of the future. Really, it turned out to be the taste of 1992-1993, as the drink never really took, even with their aggressive marketing campaign. In honor of the commercial's 20th anniversary, grab yourself something clear to drink and watch the ad.
The "Right Now" commercial wasn't the first time Pepsi used music to advertise their product, and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but the Van Halen ad left a lasting impression on me. I can't tell you what Crystal Clear Pepsi tasted like (beyond "soda"), though I know I had some. But the memory of the ad is crystal clear. (Sorry).
If watching the commercial made you nostalgic for Van Halen's original music video for their song, which was released the year before the commercial and has a similar theme of using words and imagery, here it is…
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Kelly put her life-long love of movies, TV and books to greater use when she joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006, and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before joining the staff full-time in 2011 and moving over to other roles at the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing features, analyzing site data, working with writers and editors on content planning and the workflow, and (of course) continuing to obsess over the best movies and TV shows (those that already exist, and the many on the way). She graduated from SUNY Cortland with BA in Communication Studies and a minor in Cinema Studies. When she isn't working, she's probably thinking about work, or reading (or listening to a book), and making sure her cats are living their absolute best feline lives.