Pepsi Implores You to Keep Staying Inside (to Watch Football)

David Costabile’s amusingly unhinged performance dominates VaynerMedia’s “Football Is Calling” spot for Pepsi, as he urges fans to stay inside, watch NFL games and guzzle fizzy product.

After some of his houseguests start to leave—”I’ve got brunch,” “I’ve got plans, too”—Costabile launches into a passionate plea that grows increasingly deranged.

“Look, I understand,” he begins, swiveling in a recliner while clutching a can of Pepsi Zero Sugar. “We’ve stayed inside for, what, two years? There’s a lot of people out there who want to see you.”

Costabile (Billions, Breaking Bad) acknowledges pandemic-era “pressure to brunch, pressure to baby shower, pressure to real shower,” but warns: “If you walk out that door right now, you’ve forgotten a little something. That something just might be the greatest sport ever conceived.”

“There are six other days of the week that you could go out,” he says, fannish fervor approaching frenzy. “Days such as Tuesday and Wednesday. But not today. Today is for football. This is our sanctuary—where the only protocol is football!”

Whoa, he’s getting all worked up. Are we sure that drink’s sugar free?

Near the end, voice breaking (bad) with emotion, he proclaims, “We will not move, but we will fly!” and exhorts his friends to “Grab your wings!”—as one promptly dunks a chicken tidbit into dipping sauce.

At two-minutes plus, it’s a tad much. But Costabile—equal parts Tony Robbins and Knute Rockne with a dash of John Malkovich, tongue flapping firmly in cheek—pushes deep into the zone, connects on a Hail Mary pass … or whatever gridiron cliché you prefer.

“Now that fall schedules are beginning to fill up, we felt it was important to remind everyone to unapologetically prioritize their football watching time—even if it comes at the expense of social or household obligations,” says Pepsi VP of marketing Todd Kaplan. “No matter where you find yourself this season, we’re encouraging fans to celebrate their love of countless hours of football—and to do so with a Pepsi in hand, decked out in their favorite team gear.”

To that end, Pepsi joined with NFLShop.com to give away $1 million of league-branded merchandise through October. Fans who scan QR codes on special packs and bottles of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Zero Sugar can earn points toward prizes. There’s even a chance to attend Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. (It’s OK to leave the house for that, though you’ll miss those great commercials.)

CREDITS

Pepsi
Kirk Tanner: CEO, PepsiCo North America
Greg Lyons: CMO, PepsiCo North America
Todd Kaplan: VP of Marketing
JP Bittencourt: Sr. Director of Marketing
Rich Funaoka: Director of Marketing
Catherine Carter: Marketing Manager

Production Company: Bucket Films
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Executive Producer – Traci Carlson
Line Producer – David Marks

Agency: VaynerMedia
Rob Lenois:  Chief Creative Officer
Todd Bradley:  Creative Director
Harrison Barron:  Creative Director
Chris Greer: Sr. Art Director
David Green: Sr. Copywriter
Anne Flavin: VP, Group Account Director
Gabrielle Marchand: Account Director
Adam Hughes: Sr. Producer
Kevin Murga – Sr Project Manager
Gillian Burke – Sr. Strategist

Post Production Facility: Wild Child Editorial, Inc
Editor: Richard Cooperman
Post Managing Director: Scott Spanjich
Post Senior Producer: Lily Hartmann
Color: Company3
Colorist: Tim Masick
Color Producer: Kevin Breheny
Audio Mix: Smider Noise
Audio Engineer: Niccolo Chotkowski