Global Brands Need a Global Branding Strategy No exceptions – Pepsi Learn the Hard Way

This is the somewhat controversial Ad for Pepsi Max created by BBDO Dusseldorf (who said the Germans had no sense of humour?!). It plays on the single calorie in Pepsi Max and how it’s loneliness might drive it to drastic action. It gets your attention, you remember the message, it gets publicity, but it might upset a few people.

I’m pretty sure using suicide as a theme for an ad is pretty controversial in any country, but what might be considered slightly controversial in one country might be considered boarderline illegal in another. This ad and the negative worldwide response demonstrates how global brands need to remember thanks to the Internet whenever they do any branding they need to consider that it could reach every corner of the globe. You can’t change the regional brand without effecting the global brand, so you need to be very careful and considered with everything you do (perhaps unlike here).