Talkin’ ‘bout the Dare Generation

If we let out the inner Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg in all of us, we could get a hazy vision of what advertising/marketing would be in the not-so-near future. We could imagine just how time and technology would change ads. Holograms will pop out of nowhere and jog around wearing the latest running shoes. NASA rockets will be festooned with consumer item logos. The sky will be littered with ads placed strategically under hovercrafts. Subliminal ad slogans will come out of the grooves of, say, the Rolling Stones’ 4,000th album. Billboards will be more interactive: Britney or Beyoncé will virtually pop out of a poster and hand a lucky passerby a can of soda. But those strange and exciting changes aren’t forthcoming. Not just yet. In a more sobering 21st Century reality, the transformation is more gradual. The changes nevertheless are palpable, as Pepsi marketing director Maricelle Narciso notes, "Nowadays, the challenge is to market to the youth who are rarely home."

Times are a-changing. Before, young people stayed at home most of the time and pinned their eyes to the TV set. Prop teenagers in front of The Simpsons or Beavis and Butt-head or King of the Hill, and they’re fine. Now, you will find them anywhere but home – in malls, clubs, bars, cinemas, arcades, cafés, gyms, or joyriding somewhere. The trick, according to Narciso, is to catch them where they are.

"We at Pepsi are in the midst of getting into more hi-tech media," says the Pepsi executive. "We are also utilizing technologies for the cell phone. That is the marketing spectrum we are looking at right now."

Marketing for teens is really interesting because it challenges those concerned to understand what’s going on in the lives of young people – a much more interesting endeavor than, say, promoting hemorrhoid remedies or spin doctoring for Eddie Gil.

"It helps to be familiar with what kids go for these days – like Coldplay or Dave Matthews Band or the latest gadgets. Thus, we sit down with teenagers and talk to them. We ask them what their lives are like. We let them write diaries. We give them cameras and let them take pictures to know what their homes look like. We want to know what affects them," she explains.

Narciso also points out that Pepsi has never been a brand to slacken its pace – whether in terms of advertising or developing new products. "Pepsi has the most innovations. There is always something happening with Pepsi. It’s not just your ordinary soda."

Pepsi Twist was developed because people fancy drinking soda flavored by lemon. Pepsi Blue and Pepsi X were developed for people who need a bit more verve and energy for their impossibly busy lives. Pepsi ads are always tweaked with and modified to suit the softdrink company’s target market: the youth, who are not known for being easy to please or have a long attention span.

"We want to bring the brand closer to the Filipino youth," Narciso explains. We all have seen the Pepsi ad featuring hot pop acts Britney Spears, Beyoncé Knowles, Pink and Enrique Iglesias (the emperor with the mole) in that gladiator arena scene, wearing skimpy warrior outfits, screaming a Queen song about rocking with Pepsi. Aye, here’s the twist: To bring the brand closer to Filipino teenagers, Pepsi decided to recruit four Filipino individuals who have made their mark in their respective fields.

"By getting Filipino celebrities, the brand has given the youth more accessible endorsers," Narciso enthuses. "We feel all four of them capture different facets of youth interest. And they are able to live their lives to the fullest. That’s the spirit we want Filipino teenagers to aspire for."

Jericho Rosales is an actor who takes on daredevil activities, heading for La Union on weekends to go surfing. Jericho awed fans when he starred with Kristine Hermosa in the soap opera Pangako Sa ‘Yo. Celine Lopez is a writer who chronicles the not-so-secret lives of fashion sages, pop cultural punks and social delilahs, dealing delicious truths about dating, fashion and society in Philippine STAR. Celine came out with a collection of essays titled From Coffee To Cocktails. Rico Blanco is a songwriter/musician who creates OPM tracks that are catchy, charming and darn intelligent. Rico’s band Rivermaya came up with two of the best Pinoy albums in recent memory: "Atom Bomb" and "Trip." Amanda Griffin is an international model who takes on various roles. Amanda is also a Channel V VJ, F and Explorer host, event organizer for her company called Fatally Femme (along with partners Bianca Zobel and Karen Grupp) and a retailer for Tabu, a bathing suit store she co-owns. The Pepsi quartet’s common factor is that each of them ardently pursues his or her passion.

"We think of the standing of each celebrity – in terms of staying power and fan admiration. We want winners in their respective fields. We want people who are comfortable in their own skins. Our new Pepsi endorsers are not fakes with (contradictory) public and private lives. We want people who are truly themselves, because that’s what the brand stands for."

So, Pepsi has gone from slogans like "The Choice of the New Generation" to "Generation Next" to "Ask for More" to "Dare for More" to "Kaya Mo ‘To." What a hip trip, indeed. The new campaign, according to Narciso, is about "capturing the spirit of the youth – living a life less ordinary, believing in oneself, going beyond what you’re giving, celebrating life and going for what your dreams are."

Consider the means of delivering Pepsi’s latest message: billboards, TV ads, big outdoor promos, cinema and campus gigs, etc. "We are also thinking of going into music videos. Rico’s song Liwanag sa Dilim, which he wrote for the campaign, has been on the airwaves for three weeks and is getting a lot of requests."

Pepsi – to paraphrase Brit rock band The Who – is not trying to cause a big sensation; the brand is just talking about the Dare Generation.

Pepsi’s thrust is to send a clear message to the youth; it’s not just a matter of models posing with a bottle of Pepsi. Narciso shares, "We dare the youth to pursue their goals. And this aspirational spirit is not relegated to teens. Everyone wants to aspire for something. This is where Pepsi steps in. The spirit of ‘Kaya Mo ‘To’ is ageless. You will be able to relate to the campaign regardless of whether you’re 12 years old or 50. Everyone wants to get the most out of life."