Pepsi's New Ad Strategy? The Big Screen.

Pepsi has announced plans to turn it's viral ad campaign, "Uncle Drew", into a full length feature film, with plans for a wide release all across the country.

The web campaign centers around "Uncle Drew", a late aged old man who has incredible basketball skills. He is played by 24 year old NBA star Kyrie Irving, who wears heavy prosthetic makeup to pose as an older man.

This wouldn't be the first time that an ad campaign attempted to expand into film, with the most notable success story being the Michael Jordan-Bugs Bunny film, "Space Jam". This was based off a Nike commercial starring the two, however Nike declined to be involved in the production of the film, fearing that sales would be affected if the movie flopped.

Pepsi is taking full control as PepsiCo Creative is listed as a producer on the film. They are explaining that while Pepsi won't be in the central plot, there will be several instances of strong product placement. In an official release for the film, a quote from a Pepsi spokesman says that they "want to make people laugh and then go out and buy a Pepsi." rather than making the Pepsi promotion a distraction throughout the film.

This is a risky move from Pepsi; there is a big difference from free YouTube and social media success than spending ten dollars to go see it in theaters. This strategy has failed in the past on a slightly smaller scale. A few years ago, Geico attempted to create a sitcom based on their "It's so easy, a caveman could do it" campaign. Following it being greenlighted and premiered, it was an utter disaster. The show was universally hated by critics and audiences alike. Thirteen episodes were filmed, but the show was cancelled after six. It has since been listed on the top 25 worst television shows of all time, and it resulted in Geico cancelling the incredibly successful campaign altogether.

This is an incredibly bold move by Pepsi, however the risk may end up being worth the reward. If the movie can make a solid return, it would almost certainly boost sales of Pepsi and possibly lead to other films based on campaigns. We may entering a whole new world of long term advertising.