PepsiCo enlists TikTok star Khaby Lame for Nitro Pepsi debut
‘A Smoother Way to Soda’ features the comic TikTok star showing, not telling, the nitrogen cola experience.
JimMin
PepsiCo’s long-awaited nitrogen-infused cola, known as Nitro Pepsi, has engaged TikTok superstar Khaby Lame to promote the forthcoming nationwide release.
Lame, known to 134 million followers for videos in which does not speak but rather utilizes expressions and gestures, will show, rather than tell, how the new soda aims to bring a differentiated experience to the category—and leave its users speechless.
The “A Smoother Way to Soda” campaign will debut behind a national commercial airing during the Academy Awards pre-show on ABC on March 27. The soda is available nationally on March 28.
Pepsi executives are enthusiastic about the prospect of nitrogen-infused sodas to expand appeal of its products to non-soda drinkers—an audience that’s largely been left out by experiments in flavors and ingredients that typically represent innovation in the soft-drink category. As famously done by the beer brand Guinness, the sodas are carbonated by a widget inside the cans that releases tiny nitrogen bubbles, allowing a smoother pour and foamy head, and a noticeably softer and creamier mouthfeel than typical sodas.
“Since Khaby Lame is known for pointing out the obvious with the use of his signature hand gestures, we felt he was the perfect person to show the world Nitro Pepsi is a simple solution for those who prefer less carbonation than that of a traditional cola," Todd Kaplan, chief marketing officer for brand Pepsi, said in a statement.
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Two varieties—a cola and a vanilla cola—will be available in 16-oz. cans and four-packs, as well on taps.
The product has been in development for several years. Initial plans had called for a 2020 rollout but the pandemic—and further refining of the product—delayed its introduction until this year. Last month, Pepsi allowed fans to preorder the sodas exclusively on Walmart.com, where a 12-can variety pack, priced at $24, was marked as sold out March 21. Pepsi also began serving the brands on tap this month exclusively at Caesar’s High Roller Las Vegas.
The “Smoother Way to Soda” campaign features Lame reacting wordlessly, with his iconic facial expressions and hand gestures, to the unique features of the product—the hard pour, the cascade of tiny bubbles inside the glass, and the creamy, foamy topping, making for a Nitro Pepsi foam mustache. On TikTok, Lame reinterprets other user’s “life hack” videos, often demonstrating an easier solution or ironic commentary that mock the dilemmas they present. Late last year, Newsweek reported that Lame’s videos represented eight of the 25 “most-liked” videos on the platform.
The campaign will be seen on billboards and in print spreads across Los Angeles, New York, and Las Vegas including Variety, Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, and The New Yorker.
Photos for the ads were shot by iconic photographer David LaChapelle. LaChapelle is known in the advertising world for the iconic “Kissing Soldiers” ad for the fashion brand Diesel in 2015—known as one of the first ads to feature a same-sex couple kissing.
Pepsi engaged creative agency VaynerMedia to lead the campaign. The company did not disclose spending.
Lame will not appear in the television ad, which is an update of the introductory spot that aired online beginning Feb. 23. The vlogger will be "amplifying" the campaign on his social channels, a Pepsi spokesperson said.
“So much of my content is about showing, not telling, and that’s exactly what I did with Nitro Pepsi," Lame said in a statement.
