Pepsi Gets Caught Red-Handed
July 2, 2007
Looks like BBDO, the agency for the $55 million Diet PEPSI Max launch has taken a LOT of creative license from a commercial for an Argentina Telecom by the Agulla & Baccetti agency. This latter spot picked up numerous awards including a gold at the US One Show, so you know… the US based BBDO creatives most certainly could have been exposed to the reel.
Watch the above video and do your own comparison, but we’re screaming, “RED HANDED!” Don’t give us any of that collective unconsciousness crap. The telecom spot was made in 2002, so there.
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July 3, 2007 at 6:53 pm
How is the Argentina Telecom spot different from the Liberty Mutual “Good Deed” Spot. They even have the same soundtrack. If anything, Pepsi is just one of many who are following the organic development of a concept in a public workspace. Seriously - people who complain of others “biting” there work are just people who are afraid of innovation.
July 3, 2007 at 7:20 pm
What’s amazing is that this “overcoming the yawns” concept isn’t MORE common in advertising. How many times have agencies gone into pitch meetings wanting to flatter clients over how not boring their products are.
July 4, 2007 at 2:07 am
Er, um, Louis, if you check the ad on youtube, the differnce is the Argentine Telecom ad aired in 2001/2002, while the Liberty Mutual just came out. And as much as I hate to complain about “copying”, I would have to say the Pepsi ad is pretty much an exact copy of the Telecom ad. Only a bit more watered down. Look at the ad again. They even ripped off the bit about the TV station!
July 4, 2007 at 2:12 am
The Liberty Mutual spot has a similar concept - pass it along down the line - though what they are passing is a different act. While it’s also true that both tracks are dreamy they are also very different. The “Good Deeds”spot relies heavily on the lyrics attached to the song. Take a closer listen. Second of all, the Pepsi Max spot is EXACTLY the same. EXACTLY. Everyone is yawning and passing it down the line. The situations per vignette are almost identical.
Inspiration and innovation are great and you should get it where you can. However, innovation implies that you will give credit to those who came before you in some manner. Inspiration implies that you will add an original spice to an already created work.
PEPSI and BBDO basically copied verbatim and it isn’t right. The attitude of people like you Louis is what keeps the advertising industry stuck in its non-creative cycle. We can do better.
To Atwater - so true.
July 6, 2007 at 10:18 am
[...] Pepsi Gets Caught Red-Handed - Agency Spy “Looks like BBDO, the agency for the $55 million Diet PEPSI Max launch has taken a LOT of creative license from a commercial for an Argentina Telecom by the Agulla & Baccetti agency.” (tags: via:ananser advertising) [...]
August 13, 2007 at 8:19 pm
[...] quite figured out that celebrity isn’t everything. The brand and BBDO also recently stole some creative for their Pepsi Max launch. Get it together [...]
September 24, 2007 at 2:41 am
Pepsi Max’s have also ripped off a digital campaign from Axe deodorant done earlier this year. check it…
http://www.pepsi.co.uk/tattoo/
and Axe’s Virtual Stalker
http://www.axeviceasia.com/axevice.php?type=emailstalker