Close to 20 years after Pepsi dropped their “Roman Empire” TV spot featuring Britney Spears, Beyonce and Pink, they’ve got a new one, again featuring Queen’s “We Will Rock You” this time with Megan Thee Stallion and tied to the new Ridley Scott-directed Paramount sequel Gladiator II.
The campaign entitled “Make Your Gameday Epic” will fire up the start of the new NFL season, and features Megan Thee Stallion as Empress Megan along with NFL superstars turned Gridiron Gladiators Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, Justin Jefferson and Travis Kelce, who are locked in an epic battle with Pepsi at the heart of the action. The spot also features Saturday Night‘s Lamorne Morris and Apples Never Fall actor Jake Lacy.
“We Will Rock You” is featured on a fresh sample with new lyrics from Megan. She’s also hosting the 2024 VMAs on Sept. 11, when the track and music-video inspired spot will show up throughout the show. Her cover of “We Will Rock You” will be on all major streaming music platforms today.
“I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of the legends who appeared in this Gladiator campaign 20 years ago and proud to have carved my own new legacy,” said Megan Thee Stallion. “Pepsi really brought the worlds of music, sports and entertainment together in a powerful way to set off the new NFL season. It was fun putting my creative flip on such an iconic Queen song and I can’t wait for the Hotties to hear it!”
Drawing inspiration from the upcoming Gladiator II film and its predecessor, “Make Your Gameday Epic” is produced by Ridley Scott Associates, Paramount Brand Studio, and directed by Jake Scott in collaboration with Paramount Pictures.
“Bringing the epic world of Gladiator II to life in a modern, dynamic way through this Pepsi campaign was incredibly exciting,” said Jake Scott. “We wanted to create a visual spectacle that captured the energy and intensity of the sport while also paying homage to the iconic film and the original Pepsi campaign. The collaboration with Pepsi and the incredible talent involved made this project truly unforgettable.”
“What started as a theatrical brand partnership evolved into one of the biggest promotional programs in our company’s history—spanning across theatrical marketing, CBS Sports and the Paramount Global networks,” said Marc Weinstock, Paramount Pictures’ President of Worldwide Marketing & Distribution.
“A film of this scope calls for a truly epic campaign, and we can think of no more fitting collaboration on than with one of the most iconic brands in the world.”
“This gladiator-inspired campaign is a continuation of our brand’s long history of being on the forefront of culture, collaborating with iconic artists and celebrating football. Consumers are going to see the scale of this campaign everywhere they shop, making sure everyone is getting ready for gameday this fall with football, food, and ice-cold Pepsi,” said Jenny Danzi, Head of Brand Marketing – Pepsi. “This seismic campaign captures the essence of the excitement and anticipation fans have for gameday and delivers the kind of entertainment our audience has come to expect from us!”
Some of the other aspects of the Gladiator II Pepsi campaign include a “My Roman Empire” Portrait Generator Tool whereby fans can picture themselves as a Gladiator or Roman Royalty by uploading a selfie at PepsiRomanEmpire.com.
There’s also a limited line of collector Talking Cans featuring Pepsi’s Gladiator talent with built-in Augmented Reality capabilities that bring the can characters to life via content captured on-set. The cans will hit store shelves in early November. There’s also a Fandango $10M movie reward toward a Gladiator II ticket after consumers buy $20 of Pepsi products.
Here’s the original Pepsi “We Will Rock You” spot: