Marking its entry into the fashion world, Pepsi unveiled its first-ever global fashion capsule collection named "Live For Now."
The giant beverage brand has strategically planned its entry into fashion to coincide with the upcoming 2014 Football World Cup. "Live For Now" is a limited-edition line of apparel, accessories, electronics and skateboards designed by fashion labels including Original Penguin by Munsingwear®, B&O PLAY, Gents, Goodlife, Del Toro and SHUT.
The launch is part of Pepsi's marketing campaign called "The Art of Football", which aims at linking sports, especially football with the world of art. Prices range from $49 to $399. The collection is available in Bloomingdale stores across the U.S. as well as at participating designers' storefronts and online e-commerce. Additionally, Colette in Paris will carry the collection and Liberty in London will feature the Original Penguin items.
"We were inspired by the link between the sport of football and the world of art - both places where passion leads to great acts of creativity. Motivated by our 2014 global football campaign, the Pepsi 'Live for Now' Capsule Collection brings the best of art and football to life," said Kristin Patrick, Pepsi Global Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo Global Beverages Group, in a press statement.
"Our first-of-its-kind art collection, 'The Art of Football,' was unveiled in a gallery, then spread across the streets of the world with our out-of-home campaign and now as a collection that a young, style-savvy generation will covet. Pepsi has been a cultural icon for many years and today we celebrate the ability of our brand to find a new place in consumers' hearts and minds. The Pepsi 'Live for Now' collection is both wearable and enviable, combining the best design with the joy of living in the now."
Instead of featuring the Pepsi logo, the new fashion collection feature the brand's signature red, white and blue color scheme. The initiative also saw the street artists create canvas designs featuring their signature artistic styles and some of the world's top soccer players. And it doesn't stop there! The soda company will also be releasing an entire album titled "Beats of the Beautiful Game" ahead of the tournament to be held in Brazil, according to a Billboard report.
The launch is also Pepsi's attempt to compete with Coca-Cola, the World Cup's official sponsors. During football tournaments Coca-Cola manages to sell its products to millions of football enthusiasts. Unfortunately, Pepsi's link to soccer is tenuous. Apart from a cap with a soccer ball design on it, most of the items have very little to do with the sport at all.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi's rivalry has been legendary. The feud really heated up with the Pepsi Challenge in 1975 -which prompted Coca-Cola's New Coke, a historic debacle. With the World Cup fever heating up, it seems like the two soda brands are at it again.
First Coca-Cola launched its marketing program titled "The World's Cup", touted to be the largest in the brand's history.
"Just as Brasil is everyone's country and Coca-Cola is everyone's drink, the FIFA World Cup is everyone's cup," Joseph Tripodi, EVP and chief marketing and commercial officer for Coca-Cola, said in a statement. "Through 'The World's Cup,' Coca-Cola wants to celebrate real people playing football, demonstrating how the game is a force for a more inclusive and connected world."
Following this, Pepsi released its own two-minute spot with a completely different approach-featuring celebrity players and musicians in a light-hearted story set on the streets of Rio.
"This year, we are giving fans a totally unique and immersive experience of their own-a personalized journey that combines iconic music, our stellar roster of football talent and the ability to create your own 'Now'-uniting Pepsi fans around the world in a celebration of sport, music, art and everyday moments."
Soda companies are not the only ones fighting to grab the limelight during the upcoming tournament. Adidas and Nike are also locking horns and putting their best foot forward. Earlier this month, Adidas launched a new application that allows people to have their Instagram pictures printed on their shoes. Though this may seem like it has nothing to do with football, Adidas has strategically timed its launch so that football fans can have their favorite players printed on their shoes.
Simultaneously, Nike released its new soccer ad, marking the launch of its "Risk Everything" campaign, ahead of the 2014 World Cup. The sportswear brand isn't a World Cup sponsor but always creates plenty of marketing hype around the tournament. Its famous 2010 World Cup campaign, "Write the Future," was at least as much about the terrors of failing on the sport's biggest stage as it was about winning it all.
