During the 2018 Super Bowl LII Hatch, along with iHeart Media, helped launch PepsiCo’s “Pepsi Generations” global campaign with a pop-up at Minneapolis’ Nicolette Island Pavilion.
The campaign ran throughout 2018 in 55 markets around the world celebrating the best moments of Pepsi’s past while, at the same time, it created new iconic moments for today and set the stage for an exciting future. We designed and fabricated an interactive pop-up experience that showcased the most iconic pop-culture milestones in the brand’s history.
The experience was a nostalgia-driven space that included a recreation of the iconic Halfway House Café and showcases featuring Ray Charles’ piano, Jeff Gordan’s number 24 Pepsi DuPont Chevrolet Monte Carlo and a tribute to Prince’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. Additionally, displays with vintage Pepsi packaging, throwback products, and more created a unique Pepsi experience.
One highlight of the pop-up was the “Pepsi Go Back” virtual reality experience designed in partnership with Google. The experience paid homage to two of Pepsi’s most memorable tv spots: a 1992 ad featuring Cindy Crawford at the Halfway House Café and a 1998 spot featuring Jeff Gordon speeding around a racetrack as he reaches for a can of Pepsi inside his car. Through the VR engagement, attendees could insert themselves into the ads from a first-person point of view, allowing them to hop into the driver’s seat of Gordon’s car, for example. The experience was also available for viewers at home via Google Cardboard or Daydream View googles.
The evening before the Big Game Pepsi hosted a VIP pre-kickoff party at the pop-up museum. Throughout the evening, attendees were treated to passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails as they took in activation elements like the Canstruction wall, an installation featuring different versions of the Pepsi can throughout the years.
“Extra” host AJ Calloway kicked off the event by interviewing past Pepsi partners including super model Cindy Crawford and her son Presley Gerber, and NASCAR icon Jeff Gordon, who shared their memories of the brand. Pepsi Trademark vp of marketing Chad Stubbs introduced the brand’s new “This Is The Pepsi” commercial, and broke down key cultural moments in Pepsi history.
Calloway and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, presented the 2017 Pepsi Rookie of the Year award to New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara leading to the party conclusion with a performance by pop duo LOCASH, performing several of their hits and honoring Minneapolis native Prince with their rendition of “Purple Rain.”
