293. PEPSI-COLA’s “Have A PEPSI DAY” Campaign, 1977-79

PEPSI-COLA's’ answer to the huge global success of its rival’s “COKE Adds Life!” campaign was the “Taste the PEPSI Way---and HAVE A PEPSI DAY” thematic campaign. 

 It harkens back to the PEPSI GENERATION that was conceived by advertising man and marketer Allan Pottasch (b.1927-d. 2007) who was first to observe the  youthful, carefree and optimistic culture emerging from the post-World War II baby boom. He thus coined a term to describe these up-and-coming power consumers: the PEPSI GENERATION, with a campaign launched in 1963

Over the next decades, advertising was focused on this Pepsi generation—and HAVE A PEPSI DAY was a continuing effort to engage these baby boomers to include Pepsi in their life. Launched in the U.S. in 1976, the campaign was rolled out in the Philippines the next year, using the internationally-famous jingle, but using local talents and situations.

 Launched in the U.S. in 1976, the campaign was rolled out in the Philippines the next year, using the internationally-famous jingle, but using local talents and situations.

LISTEN TO THE "HAVE A PEPSI DAY" JINGLE HERE:

The challenge for Ace-Compton Advertising Inc., the Makati ad agency tasked with localizing the campaign. The choice of “daily events” thus became critical—it should be within the realm of a Filipino’s social experience,  that can be heighten by the presence of PEPSI—leading to a “brand new moment” that will leave you “alive and feeling free”. 

 Hence, such situations as a tennis match, a trip to the zoo, a kalesa ride—becomes a celebration with PEPSI.

The campaign also had Celebrity versions, featuring top celebrities of the day  like superstar Nora Aunor, and her love team partner Tirso Cruz III. The Aunor TVC commercial had her defining her own PEPSI DAY---a free day without a film shooting, just bumming around, a day all to herself, with just  a bottle of PEPSI for a refreshing change.

HAVE A PEPSI DAY was a popular campaign, but “Coke Adds Life” was hard to beat. The jingle was more catchy, and the commercials featured the younger teen set that were cuter, funnier, more spontaneous in their ways. In the MTV years, Coke commercials were hipper, and more “with the times”.  It didn’t help that in 1977, the PEPSI COLA account was moved from Ace-Compton to J. Walter Thompson, major news that reverberated throughout the whole Philippine ad industry.  Coke regained its dominance, and the PEPSI DAYS were no more.