The Super Bowl commercials that have hit the web so far this year have been amazing, and this latest from Pepsi is no exception. The soft drink tycoon opted not to go the weird route like others have when promoting its flagship drink, and instead brought back Cindy Crawford, "Uncle Drew," and others for a celebration of Pepsi's best ads from the past:
It isn't as whacky as Tyrion Lannister rapping, but it's definitely an ad that will bring on waves of nostalgia! Hopefully, not the nostalgia brought on by Pepsi lover's grandpa recalling the time he was at the drive-in with their grandma, but a nostalgia of some of the more famous Pepsi ads throughout the years. One look at folks like Jeff Gordon, Kyrie Irving as "Uncle Drew," and Britney Spears will undoubtedly have Super Bowl watchers hitting up YouTube to see the classic ads each celebrity is tied to.
Let's also just talk about how great Cindy Crawford looks here! Crawford re-lived her famous Pepsi ad from 1992, but this time around had the help of her model son Presley Walker Gerber. The recreation of the classic ad looks a lot like the original, down to that infamous glug of Pepsi that gave Jimmy Fallon pause in his voiceover:
Some of the references in this Pepsi commercial are obvious, and others take a bit of explaining. For example, that Pepsi bottle hanging out of the Delorean is the same bottle design as the Pepsi soft drinks featured in Back To The Future Part II. Additionally, the references to Michael Jackson are a callback to past commercials he did with the company. Pepsi really missed an opportunity to have Alfonso Ribeiro doing those MJ dance moves, as the Carlton actor from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was the child dancing in one the company's more famous commercials with the King of Pop. That said, Pepsi managed to fit a lot of its history into a single 60-second ad, so we can cut them some slack for missing that chance.
The tagline of this ad really brings it all home with the claim that Pepsi is the drink for "every generation." It's a somewhat fresh take on the company's advertising strategy, as the "Pepsi Generation" began in the 60s with a focus on younger-skewing audiences. The company that played to the younger market for so long is changing things up now that its first "Pepsi Generation" is hitting their 60s. It's not a bad strategy, but is it as effective as goofy characters like "Puppy Monkey Baby?" We'll have to wait and see.
Pepsi's ad will run at some point on NBC during the Super Bowl which kicks off Sunday, February 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET. For a look at other upcoming television, head on over to our midseason premiere guide. To see some of Pepsi's iconic commercials referenced in this ad, hop on over to the next page!
