Pepsi Refresh Tour Launched

A number of Jamaica's emerging musical stars will spearhead Pepsi Jamaica's latest campaign aimed at rewarding fans with music, prizes and more than $6 million worth of mobile credit. The campaign, dubbed the 'Pepsi Refresh Tour', was recently launched at the Ribbiz Sports Bar in Barbican where Pepsi-Cola Jamaica's Marketing Manager Mitch Watson outlined how Jamaicans will benefit.

"We will be able to engage our audience in an exciting way by creating a unique experience while, at the same time, strengthening our relationship with real Jamaican pop culture," he said. As such, Pepsi has enlisted the services of a number of emerging acts, who Watson described as being on the cutting edge of local entertainment. They include Denyque, Ikaya, Kalado, Chi Ching Ching, Zagga and Raine Seville.

SELECTION PROCESS

The artistes were selected following an extensive process during which Pepsi canvassed entertainment agency Headline Entertainment and interacted with young people and disc jockeys to find out who they thought were the artistes they connected best with. Other factors were also taken into consideration.

"They are also social-media savvy. They understand the new thrust of social media and what it means to a brand like ours that is catering to those who are young, fresh and excited about life," Watson said.

These artistes will perform on two shows at the Famous Nightclub in Portmore, St Catherine, on June 6, and at the Front Lawn at Hope Gardens in St Andrew on July 4. Also part of the Pepsi Tour, 1,000 lucky consumers will win free tickets to International Night II at Reggae Sumfest on July 18, where the artistes will get to perform extensive sets. The selected artistes could also get opportunities to perform elsewhere in the world under the Pepsi banner as the brand embarks on its global campaign.

"The DNA of Pepsi is music. Over the years, we have been with the BeyoncÈs and the Michael Jacksons, so how we do that in Jamaica is to reach out to the local artistes who we feel are on the cutting edge, those about to make it," Watson said. "So we have decided to have the two major concerts in the Corporate Area, the largest population centre, and then, to culminate, we are going to do what we call the Pepsi Hour at Reggae Sumfest, the biggest music festival in the region."

Patrons can qualify to get passes to the events by participating in an Under the Cap promotion, where they will be able to win a number of prizes - caps, T-shirts, concert tickets and tickets to Reggae Sumfest. Customers buying 500ml, 20oz and bottles of Pepsi with yellow caps will find code numbers under those caps. Codes should be texted to 444-2487 for a chance to win tickets to the Pepsi Tour and phone credit from both service providers. The codes can also be entered online to download Pepsi Refresh Tour mixtapes and on Facebook to win prizes that include Bluetooth speakers and DJ headsets.

"More importantly, at these concerts for the people who win tickets to come, it's a VIP concert. Everybody who wins is a VIP for us. They are going to be fÍted. They are going to have food interactions with the artistes. So we are going to let them feel special," Watson said.

ARTISTES HONOURED

As it relates to the artistes, they, too, will be made to feel extra special, Watson explained.

Denyque said being selected by Pepsi was an honour and an opportunity.

"It is amazing. I have always loved Pepsi, so it's great to be on board with them now for the Refresh Tour," she said. "As any good businesswoman or businessman knows, it (the Pepsi Tour) brings social media awareness, it brings visual awareness, it brings audio awareness. People will hear you, people will see you, they will love you depending on what you give them. So I am going to use this opportunity to show people who I am and to get people to love me even more, I hope, and boost the brand and boost myself at the same time."