Pepsi unveils branded reality dating show to tout new mango flavor

Dive Brief:
Pepsi unveiled the trailer for a reality TV show that it had teased final month with the launch of its mango-flavored cola. The PepsiCo-owned model is working with Velocity, ViacomCBS’s branded content material studio, to produce the dating show “Match Me If You Can” for the media large’s MTV community, per an announcement.
“Match Me If You Can” will arrange reality TV stars from totally different exhibits on dates that contain surprising actions to see if they will discover their good match. Lauren Speed Hamilton, who discovered love on Netflix dating show “Love Is Blind” and has a YouTube channel along with her husband, hosts the Pepsi Mango collection.
Billed as a dating show impressed the by the “good match” of Pepsi and mango, “Match Me If You Can” will premiere throughout business break takeovers of the finale episode of “The Challenge: Double Agents” on MTV, making a show inside a show. The first episode will concurrently seem on MTV’s YouTube channel at 8 p.m. ET on April 21. The remaining 4 episodes will seem on YouTube each Wednesday after that. The full collection will even be out there on demand on Pluto TV after its preliminary run.

Dive Insight:
Pepsi’s reality TV collection marks a continuation of its technique to combine its branding with unique programming to assist attain youthful viewers who’re in any other case averse to promoting on conventional linear TV. The collection’ look throughout MTV, YouTube and Pluto TV, the ad-supported video-on-demand service (AVOD) that ViacomCBS acquired for $340 million two years in the past, exhibits Pepsi taking a diverse distribution technique in reflection of how viewers are partaking throughout a rising variety of channels. AVOD, specifically, has been gaining steam with customers and entrepreneurs as fatigue with subscription companies like Netflix units in whereas video viewing, general, has been on the upswing throughout the pandemic.

The theme of “Match Me If You Can” helps the concept Pepsi paired cola with a mango flavor to create Pepsi Mango, whereas reflecting the viewers’ enduring curiosity in reality TV and dating exhibits. The collection’ theme is in line with final month’s launch of Pepsi’s “Perfect Match” marketing campaign for the new flavor, which included social media promoting that doubled as private adverts for singles.
Pepsi has pushed extra closely into branded content material with its latest promotional efforts. In December, it introduced a collaboration with Fox Entertainment to create the primary sport show impressed by one its merchandise. To promote Pepsi Wild Cherry, the model backed the manufacturing of “Cherries Wild,” a half-hour show that examined contestants’ information of pop-culture trivia. Hosted by actor Jason Biggs, the show premiered on Fox and streaming companies together with Fox Now, Hulu and Fox’s AVOD providing Tubi. Pepsi additionally sponsored a digital hip-hop competitors referred to as “Your Wildest Dreams” on video app Triller to promote the cherry-flavored cola.
These efforts point out that Pepsi is probably going to proceed growing unique programming that is built-in with its manufacturers whereas exploring totally different channels for distribution because the area continues to fragment.
Pepsi and archrival Coca-Cola have made new flavorings a key a part of their methods to increase curiosity of their merchandise amid the shifts in buying habits for the reason that onset of the pandemic. Coke final month launched a multichannel marketing campaign for its flavored colas that included an influencer advertising and marketing effort and TV commercials throughout March Madness video games. Its “Unbelievable Double Take” spots featured digitally inserted pictures of Coke flavors into footage of memorable moments from the NCAA Men’s College Basketball match.

You May Also Like

About the Author: Amanda