Ad of the Day: Coke and Pepsi Storm the Field With Dueling World Cup Campaigns

World Cup fever is heating up fast. Soon you'll need one of the globe's two major soda brands to help you cool down. Following the release of Nike's new soccer ad on Tuesday, Coca-Cola and Pepsi both unveiled their own tributes to futbol on Wednesday morning, ahead of the 2014 World Cup, which kicks off June 12 in Brazil. Coca-Cola (which, unlike Pepsi, is an official sponsor of the tournament) says its marketing program around the 2014 World Cup is the largest in its history. Themed "The World's Cup," it celebrates soccer as a force for social good. The two-minute launch spot, by Wieden + Kennedy São Paulo, tells the story of soccer teams in Otsuchi, Japan, Eastern Europe, the Amazon and Ramallah, Palestine—four places where the sport had helped people overcome tension and hardship. That ad is supported by a ton of other content, including documentary-style short films (themed "Where Will Happiness Strike Next," the subjects range from a blind team in Brazil to a group of grannies in South Africa); an original musical anthem; a "Happiness Flag" photomosaic that will feature fan faces and messages; a FIFA World Cup Trophy tour; and a uniquely Brazilian visual identity for the whole campaign. "Just as Brasil is everyone's country and Coca-Cola is everyone's drink, the FIFA World Cup is everyone's cup," Joseph Tripodi, evp and chief marketing and commercial officer for Coca-Cola, said in a statement. "Through 'The World's Cup,' Coca-Cola wants to celebrate real people playing football, demonstrating how the game is a force for a more inclusive and connected world." Meanwhile, Pepsi released its own two-minute spot on Wednesday with a completely different approach—featuring celebrity players and musicians in a lighthearted story set on the streets of Rio. The ad, by 180LA, follows YouTube musician Stony, who wanders the city playing music, and just happens to run into six of the world’s best soccer players—Leo Messi of Argentina; Robin van Persie of the Netherlands; Jack Wilshere of England; David Luiz of Brazil; Sergio Agüero of Argentina and Sergio Ramos of Spain. At the end, we get musical royalty as well, as Janelle Monáe appears and performs an exclusive new take of David Bowie's "Heroes." (You can download her version on iTunes starting today.) There's also an interactive version of the Pepsi spot featuring U.S. star Clint Dempsey, with various moments that fans can unlock. "We were inspired by the power and unity that sports and music bring to the world. Our content plan to capture this spirit celebrates the creative passion of footballers with music and how both of these awesome forces inspire us to 'Live for Now,' " Kristin Patrick, Pepsi's global chief marketing officer, said in a statement. "This year, we are giving fans a totally unique and immersive experience of their own—a personalized journey that combines iconic music, our stellar roster of football talent and the ability to create your own 'Now'—uniting Pepsi fans around the world in a celebration of sport, music, art and everyday moments." Coke vs. Pepsi: grand and rootsy vs. playful and celeb-filled. What's your poison? The interactive version (may not work on all browsers): CREDITS Client: The Coca-Cola Company Spot: "One World, One Game (Brasil—Everyone’s Invited)" Agency: Wieden + Kennedy São Paulo Executive Creative Directors: Guillermo Vega, Icaro Doria Copywriter: Kako Méndez Art Director: Eddy Guimarães Producer: Kerli Teo Executive Agency Producer: Ben Grylewicz Account Team: Spence Kramer, Flavia Cortes Business Affairs: Dusty Slowik Global Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff, Colleen DeCourcy Production Company: Stink Ltd. Director Lead: Ivan Zacharias Others: Kosai Sekine, Josh Cole, Nacho Gayan, Norman Bates Executive Producers: Daniel Bergmann Mungo Maclagan Producers: Nick Landon, Ai Yamamoto, Toni Moreno, Robert Bray Line Producers: Swantje Rummel, Sophie Hubble, Kristin Rathje Production Assistant: Trond Olsen Directors of Photography: Adam Kimmel, Senzo Ueno, Sebastian Blenkov, Luke Jakobs, Rik Zang Editing Company: Joint Editors: Tommy Harden, Nicholas Davis Editor Assistant: J.B. Jacobs Post Producer: Yamaris Leon Post Executive Producer: Patty Brebner Visual Effects: The Mill Flame Artist: Bill Higgins Visual Effects Executive Producer: Enca Kaul Visual Effects Producers: Adam Reeb, Jesse Looney Production Co-ordinator: Jilian Lynes Music, Sound Company: Walker Composers: Nicholas Wright, Mauricio Herszkowicz Executive Producer: Sara Matarazzo Producer: Paul Dirksen Mix Company: Barking Owl Sound Designer, Mixer: Brock Babcock Executive Producer: Kelly Bayett Producer: Whitney Fromholtz —————————— Client: Pepsi Spot: "Now Is What You Make It" Chief Marketing Officer: Kristin Patrick Creative Director: Landis Smithers Vice President, Advertising: David Foulds Senior Brand Director, Global Pepsi: Gary So Agency: 180LA Partner, Chief Creative Officer: William Gelner Managing Partner, Chairman: Chris Mendola Creative Directors: Dave Horton, Matthew Woodhams-Roberts Associate Creative Director, Copywriter: Jason Rappaport Associate Creative Director, Art Director: Mike Bokman Copywriter: Joe Beutel Art Director: Jaclyn Kritch Head of Production: Natasha Wellesley Executive Producer, Producer: Erin Goodsell Director of Interactive Production: Christopher Neff Senior Integrated Producer: Andrew Slough Integrated Producer: Nili Zadok Head of Account Services: Chad Bettor Account Director: Sandy Song Account Manager: Jessica DeLillo Business Affairs Director: Loretta Zolliecoffer Head of Design: Richard Harrington Designers: Patrice Liu, Dan Pappas Studio Design: Kyle Klinger Production Company: Reset Director: Johan Renck Managing Director: Dave Morrison Executive Producer: Jeff McDougall Bidding Producer: Jen Beitler Head of Production: Amanda Clune Staff Coordinator: Heinrich Meyer Producer: Annabel Ridley Production Supervisor: Lana Greenaway Shoot Location: Rio de Janeiro Shoot Dates: 12/7/2013 – 12/09/2013 Production: Brazil Production Company: Zohar Cinema Producers: Isabelle Tanugi, Carlos Paiva, Roberto Bakker Production Coordinator: Mariana Cassa Shoot Location: Rio de Janeiro Shoot Dates: 12/7/2013 – 12/10/2013 Production: Spain Production Company: Inclusive SCP Producer: Lole Ramirez Shoot Location: Barcelona, Spain Shoot Date: 1/7/2014 Production: London Production Company: Academy Executive Producer: Lizzie Gower Producer: Juliette Harris Shoot Location: London Shoot Dates: 1/16/2014 – 1/18/2014 Integrated Production: Production Company: m ss ng p eces Director: Jordan Fish Executive Producer: Ari Kuschnir Producer: Carla Robertson Director of Photography: Owen Donovan Shoot Location: Rio de Janeiro Shoot Dates: 12/7/2013 – 12/10/2013 Editing Company: Cut + Run Senior Editor: Steve Gandolfi Editors: Sam Jones, Julian Tranquille Assistant Editors: Laura Dunn, Sean Fazende Executive Producer: Carr Schilling Senior Producer: Amburr Farls Managing Director: Michelle Eskin Integrated Editoring Company: m ss ng p eces Editor: Adam Besheer Motion Graphics: Tal Baltuch Lead Online, Visual Effects, Transfer: The Mill Executive Producer: Jo Arghiris Producer: Dan Roberts Production Coordinator: David Lawrence Visual Effects Supervisor: Andres Eguiguren 2-D Lead Artist: Chris Knight 3-D Lead Artist: David Hempstead 2-D Artists: Chris Knight, Tim Davies, Ben Smith, Daniel Lang, Robert Murdock 3-D Artist: David Hempstead Motion Graphics: Chris Burkhalter Colorists: Adam Scott, Greg Reese Additional Visual Effects: Cut + Run Creative Director: David Parker Flame Assistant: Jorge Tanaka Senior Producer: Liz Lydecker Recording Studio: Eleven Sound Mixer: Jeff Payne Assistant Mixer: Ben Freer Executive Producer: Suzanne Hollingshead Music, Sound Design Original Music: David Bowie, "Heroes" Track Sourced by Soundtree Music Produced, Arranged and Sound Design: Luis Almau, Peter Raeburn Producer: Storr Redman Track Negotiated in Part by Chop Shop Music Supervision Interactive Video Technology: Interlude

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Ad of the Day: Coke and Pepsi Storm the Field With Dueling World Cup Campaigns

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