Pepsi teams with two more football players to shoot latest ad amid soaring temperatures
UAE, 28 June 2004 - A Roman-themed village set in the middle of the desert, near Hatta in the UAE...
This was where PepsiCo International chose to film their newest, most innovative TV ad, similar to the recent international Gladiator commercials. The new ad features regional football star, Sami Al Jaber, who has won "Best Player in Asia" four times, and up and coming Egyptian player Mohamad Barakat, dressed to impress in their " Roman warrior" attire.
Filmed over two days in the scorching temperatures of the UAE desert, the film unit included actors, an abundant number of crew, as well as over 90 extras decked out in their striking Roman outfits. Commencing in the wee hours of the morning, 6 a.m. to be exact, the filming ran smoothly thanks to the entire cast's cooperation.
Bringing his unique creative input to the board was Marco Cillaci, an Italian director who, in addition to having extensive experience working with such renowned names as Armani, has worked before with Pepsi on an ad titled "The Airplane," - one of the highest scored Pepsi commercials to date.
Earlier in the year, Pepsi featured such stars as Beyonc, Britney Spears, Amr Diab, Pink and David Beckham in similar Gladiator themed commercials. The latest commercial features Al Jaber and Barakat working their football magic amongst a village of people. However, the competition heats up as both players are drawn towards a can of Pepsi, each hoping they will be the lucky winner of a Hummer. Not ceasing to surprise the viewers, the grand-sized Hummer itself lands from the seemingly clear sky.
The advertisement publicizes Pepsi's summer promotion, in which consumers have the opportunity to win a number of prizes depending on what they find under their bottle caps or ring pulls. The Hummer, the grand prize of the promotion, is sure to be on everyone's wish list.
"Sami Al-Jaber and Mohamad Barakat are extremely skilled football players, as well as friendly and approachable individuals," stated PepsiCo International's Marketing Manager, GCC, "Working with them was a very positive experience, they were both exceptionally co-operative with both the director and crew during the filming, and we are sure viewers will enjoy watching the commercial as much as we enjoyed shooting it."
Pepsi has long been associated with football, signing on top players such as David Beckham, Ronaldihno and Roberto Carlos to be part of the Pepsi Team and the new commercial, set to debut at the end of June, on the Arabic satellite and terrestrial channels across the GCC, is sure to further highlight that connection.
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© Press Release 2004
