Football! Reds against blues. They’re red, we’re blue. I don’t like that team, they play in red. I like this one, they play in blue. You’re wearing red! I simply must punch you. What other sphere of endeavour can compete with football at artificial tribalism? Perhaps only the century-long struggle of the people who make fizzy acid in blue cans to convince us not to buy fizzy acid in red cans. Enter the new Pepsi spot, which uses the familiar “footballers from various countries have a kickabout” idea that’s normally given a high-concept twist (Roman gladiators, astronauts, drones).
Here, the innovation is… a blue card. Unimprovably described by the Daily Mail as “a Pepsi invention designed to signify the notion that the fun is just getting started”, the blue card is brandished by Real Madrid quiff-pony James Rodríguez at a pair of pop-sipping delivery drivers who are kicking a ball round a deserted stadium. You can’t tell which stadium, because everything has been ruthlessly CGI’d blue – and let me tell you, the power of blue more than compensates for Pepsi Max, which is what’s specifically being advertised, actually coming in a black can.
That’s definitely not a basic error an ad creative somewhere is living in fear of us noticing. Anyway, the lucky mortals enjoy a magic boot-around with Rodríguez, Sergio Agüero, Alexis Sanchez and Vincent Kompany, all wearing blue bibs. One of the starstruck schlubs, fizzy acid cascading through his veins, spanks it into the top corner from 20 yards. Then everyone has another Pepsi. Or is it Coke? It’s whichever one’s the blue one.
