Peru's beaches became Pepsi's biggest billboard

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Pepsi launched a campaign in Peru earlier this year that proved sometimes the best advertising ideas aren't created, they're simply noticed. "If there's a beach, there's Pepsi" didn't rely on elaborate production.

Someone just looked at a sunset and saw what had been there all along.

When nature became the billboard

Here's what PepsiCo figured out: Peru has this stunning 3,000 km Pacific coastline.

During summer, when the sun set over the ocean, something magical happened.

The sky turned this gorgeous red-orange, the sea glowed blue, and right there on the horizon, almost like nature's own advertisement, the colours blended to create something that looked remarkably like Pepsi's iconic logo.

The sunset was literally painting their brand across the sky.

Instead of slapping up another billboard or running yet another social media ad, Pepsi simply pointed its camera at the horizon and said, "Look. We're already here."

The genius hiding in plain sight

What made this work so brilliant was the sheer audacity of the insight. Someone on that creative team looked at a Peruvian beach sunset and thought, "Hang on a minute... that's our logo." And then they built an entire campaign around it.

This wasn't traditional advertising. This was ambient marketing at its finest. The campaign rolled out through outdoor and print media with 5 stunning visual assets that captured these sunset moments, each one proving that Pepsi wasn't just selling refreshment, they were part of the entire summer beach experience.

Why this worked so well

The campaign spread across LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter(X) like wildfire. Marketing professionals couldn't stop talking about it. And there were 2 key reasons it resonated so deeply:

First, it was inherently shareable: Every tourist, every local, every person watching that sunset could become part of the campaign. They'd see it, snap it, share it. UGC waiting to happen, all without Pepsi needing to beg for it.

Second, it demonstrated cultural intelligence: Pepsi understood that Peru's coastline was central to summer culture. They knew when beaches filled up, what people were seeking and they positioned Pepsi as the natural companion to that experience.

Your homework from me

Stop thinking about where you can place your brand this week and start noticing where your brand already lives. What natural moments, environments or experiences align with what you're selling?

Maybe you won't find your logo in a sunset, but there's likely a creative insight hiding in your customers' everyday lives that you haven't noticed yet.

⚡ 3 Noteworthy News Updates for Marketers

1. Meta launches custom Feed of AI-Generated Video Clips

2. Shopify merchants will be able to sell directly in ChatGPT

3. OpenAI’s latest hire hints at a future where advertisers can run campaigns directly in ChatGPT, reaching 700 million weekly active users.

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That's a wrap for today! Stay tuned for the next edition.

Thanks,
Luv