Christmas Gets a Cheeky Hip Hop Refresh from Pepsi MAX

Following a year that has been anything but conventional, we were delighted to have helped Pepsi MAX create their latest Christmas campaign, encouraging people to refresh their old Christmas traditions and redefine their way of celebrating this festive season. At the forefront is an energetic new TV advert that reimagines the traditional sounds of Christmas with a little help from two of the UK’s most exciting music artists - Kamakaze and TrueMendous.

Pepsi MAX worked with Leicester-born rapper Kamakaze and Birmingham native TrueMendous to put their own spin on the brand’s previous rap advert, creating a fresh and unexpected remix for the Christmas season. The Pepsi MAX TV commercial debuted in 2019 under the international Pepsi tagline, FOR THE LOVE OF IT and the upbeat, rap soundtrack focused on the delicious, fizz-poppin’ taste of Pepsi MAX. 

The newly imagined creative builds on the typographic style of the original content with integrated shots of the talent, showcasing what a refreshed Christmas looks like and encouraging people to choose the bold way with Pepsi MAX this season.

TrueMendous commented: “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Kamakaze and Pepsi MAX – the creative process was a lot of fun, blending our styles to complement each other, coming up with the lyrics and the beats for the advert. We are so excited to have created something so impactful, dynamic and just unique, something that is definitely needed right now, and we can’t wait for everyone to see it!’ 

Kamakaze continued: “It’s about time Christmas got a refresh - I don’t think anyone will be expecting this, even after the crazy year we’ve had - and I can’t wait to see people’s reactions! It’s not every day you work with a brand like Pepsi MAX on something as monumental as a Christmas campaign. They’ve worked with some amazing musical talent over the years, so it was fun to be a part of this project every step of the way.”

Music is part of the Pepsi MAX DNA; this collaboration with two of the UK’s rising hip hop stars is the latest in a long list of music activations around the world, from ground-breaking campaigns with globally renowned artists to emerging talent.  The integration of music and advertising is also a key tenet to Truant London's offering.

The new Christmas Refreshed advert is supported by disruptive out-of-home artwork and powerful digital content inspiring people to hit refresh this Christmas. The OOH artwork features the artists’ lyrics from the TV advert, along with cheeky references ‘Time for a Christmas Refresh’ and ‘Out with the old taste the bold’. As part of the wider campaign, Pepsi MAX includes social activations showcasing the meaning of Christmas Refreshed across the winter months.