Pepsi Max: Human Loop

Last year, Pepsi Max for its ongoing #LiveForNow campaign created an unbelievable bus levitation stunt. Now continuing on this unbelievable feats and experiences brand positioning they challenged daredevil stuntman, Damien Walters to do another unbelievable stunt for them.

Pepsi Max provided Damien with a human-sized loop the loop in an abandoned warehouse and then got him to defy gravity for them…

Why this stunt fits the brand

  • It commits to the promise. “Unbelievable” is not a line here. It is the product.
  • It is instantly legible. You understand the challenge in one second, then you watch to see if it is possible.
  • It is built for replay. Stunts invite rewatching, pausing, and sharing because people want to verify what they saw.

What to learn from it

If your positioning is about experiences, you need executions that behave like proof. This kind of spectacle works when the idea is simple, the talent is credible, and the payoff is visible without explanation.


A few fast answers before you act

What is Pepsi Max “Human Loop”?

It is a Pepsi Max #LiveForNow stunt featuring Damien Walters attempting a human-sized loop-the-loop setup inside an abandoned warehouse.

Why does a loop-the-loop stunt perform so well in video?

The challenge is obvious, the risk feels real, and the outcome is visually conclusive, which makes it highly shareable.

What is the core pattern behind this kind of campaign?

Make the brand promise measurable in one moment, then capture it cleanly so the viewer does not need context to understand it.

How do you keep stunts from feeling like “random viral”?

Anchor them to an ongoing brand platform, use consistent talent and tone, and make each execution feel like a credible next chapter.

Ian #UpForWhatever

Super Bowl ads are the miniature version of the film industry. There is huge money involved and brands are torn between creating something new and noteworthy or falling back on established formulas.

So for its 2014 Super Bowl Commercial, Bud Light threw in a ton of actors including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Don Cheadle, Minka Kelly and one unsuspecting normal guy called Ian Rappaport. The ad went on to become something truly to remember. 😎

Christmas Surprise

It’s that time of the year again! So here is my last and very Christmassy post for the year. 😉

Airports during the holiday season are generally filled with disgruntled people facing delays, lost luggage and other mishaps. So Canadian airline, WestJet decided to use this moment to treat weary travelers with a Christmas miracle.

With the help of a virtual Santa Claus, the airline asked unsuspecting passengers waiting to board their flights to Calgary from Toronto and Hamilton International Airports what they had on their Christmas wishlists this year.

Then with more than 150 WestJet employees they set about playing Santa’s elves, gathering personalized presents and delivering them to the Calgary airport before the unsuspecting passengers landed. At the baggage claim the passengers received their holiday miracle…

This however was not WestJet’s first attempt into spreading airport Christmas cheer. Last year, the airline had created a Christmas themed flash mob, complete with dancing elves, in the middle of an airport…

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here’s a lovely remake of “Little Drummer Boy” by Pentatonix to bring this last Ramble of the year to a close. 😎