Bills’ Keon Coleman voted NFL Rookie of the Week for Titans performance
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman was voted the NFL’s Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week for his performance in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans.
Coleman is the first wide receiver to be voted Rookie of the Week this year. In the game, Coleman caught four passes for 125 yards. He led the entire NFL in receiving yards for Week 7 in the 34-10 win.
He is just the third rookie WR to put up 125 receiving yards this year, joining Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. That is pretty good company to be in.
Coleman’s big day found him being mentioned among even better company, too. In the last five years, only three other rookie wide receivers have led the league in receiving yards for any given week. Those three are Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, and Justin Jefferson:
Graphic via NFL Network
The Bills brought in Amari Cooper to bring a spark to the receiving room last week. If Coleman is capable of games like this, and with Cooper across the field from him, the league could be in trouble. The two combined for 191 yards and a touchdown in their first game together.
Coleman’s 326 receiving yards ranks third among rookie WRs through seven weeks. He trails only Brian Thomas Jr. (513) and Malik Nabers (427).
The 5-2 Bills will take their new-look offense on the road to Seattle to take on the 4-3 Seahawks at Lumen Field in Week 8.
#Bills QB Josh Allen will reportedly be in a Pepsi commercial soon:
Josh Allen’s star off the football field will continue to grow soon.
According to Sports Business Journal, the Buffalo Bills quarterback will feature in a commercial for the soda brand Pepsi.
Reportedly the ad is going to be a “Gladiator II” theme based on the 2000 movie.
In addition to Allen, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry, Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will star in the advert as well.
Last month the league announced a handful of new high-level hires that added experience and stability at the executive level, and on Monday morning LIV announced yet another addition. Adam Harter has been named LIV’s new Chief Marketing Officer, where he will lead all marketing activities, help develop league and team brands and contribute to growing a global fan base. Harter has already started working with the league and will report to Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman.
Harter previously spent 22 years at PepsiCo, where he most recently served as senior vice president of Media, Sports and Entertainment. He oversaw sponsorship deals with the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB, and worked with athletes such as LeBron James, Kyrie Irving – remember those Uncle Drew videos? – Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. He also worked with the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show for more than a decade and collaborated with music artists like Jay-Z, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez and Dr. Dre. His work in sport and entertainment should fit well with LIV’s festival-like atmosphere at events.
“Adam brings a unique, world-class set of skills and experience that will bolster LIV Golf’s ongoing work and create incredible new opportunities to develop our league and team brands,” said LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman in a press release. “The addition of executives like Adam will help expand and deliver on the league’s long-term goals as we continue to reach fans across the world in new and exciting ways.”
The hiring is yet another maneuver as LIV Golf continues to carve out and expand its corner of the sports landscape.
Panthers QB Bryce Young has been nominated for Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week honors.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young impressed more than just the shipping industry in Week 16.
To the delight of one of the world’s beverage giants, Young’s career performance this past Sunday has landed him a nomination for Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week. His 312-yard passing day also has him up for FedEx Air Player of the Week honors.
Young, in Sunday’s 33-30 loss to the Green Bay Packers, broke the 300-yard mark for the first time as a pro. Overall, he completed 23 of his 36 throws with two touchdowns, no interceptions and two other career-highs in passing yards per attempts (8.7) and passer rating (110.0).
The 22-year-old, however, made the outing about “we,” not “me.”
“Really, I think it’s as good as we’ve looked as a unit,” he told reporters after the game. “Whatever stats or whatever may say, you point at one person and say it’s a good game—it’s all of us. It was a good building block for us as a unit. And that’s all 11—and plus with all the substitutions, of course. We all stepped up.”
The No. 1 overall pick faces a stiff field of competition that includes running backs Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs, wide receiver Puka Nacua, linebacker YaYa Diaby and defensive back Brian Branch.
Steve Martin & Ben Stiller will have a Pepsi question for you during the #SuperBowl:
Asking a question piques one’s curiosity.
Advertisers know it, and Pepsi is doing just that during Super Bowl 57.
But you go above and beyond when you’re one of the most popular brands connected to the Big Game.
Namely, you tap some legendary actors to ask said question.
Enter Steve Martin and Ben Stiller.
The two Hollywood superstars step up to the Super Bowl plate for Pepsi Zero, the soft drink company’s zero sugar option.
In the ad, Pepsi does not stray far from its teaser. Martin and Stiller take funny jabs at one another about their acting abilities in that preview. Specifically, the shots the pair take back and forth involve whether or not they are being truthful or acting about their feelings.
Toss in a Pepsi Zero Sugar, and there are your commercials.
In two separate adverts, Martin and Stiller pose the question: Is Pepsi Zero Sugar actually good, or are they just acting?
The answer: Only one way to find out, and that’s by trying the prodcurt for yourself.
As a bonus, there were even some references to their past performances referenced. Namely, Stiller dusts off a “Zoolander” reference.
All said, Pepsi could make some real noise in Ad Meter’s 35th year of commercial ratings.
Check out both of the 30-second spots set to air during Super Bowl 57 below:
A Super Bowl commercial conversation with two of the leaders in the game.
Rewind the historical playlist of Super Bowl commercials and you’ll notice that Pepsi and Doritos have dotted the decades of breaks in the football action, creating an impressive highlight reel with 30- and 60-second spots that have made the audience laugh, sing and even dance.
There was the boy who got stuck in a Pepsi bottle, the highest-rated ad of all time in the USA TODAY Ad Meter ratings.
There was the great Ray Charles, who took Diet Pepsi to the show in ’91, leaving the audience repeating, “Uh huh! You’ve got the right one, baby!”
The battle between the Coca-Cola driver and the Pepsi driver remains a legend in the Super Bowl ad space, so much that you could argue a whole new generation of consumers associate the Youngbloods’ song “Get Together” with that commercial.
And how many people hear the phrase “Cindy Crawford’s commercial” and immediately think of this image:
(Photo by Pepsi/Getty Images)
From the chips aisle, Doritos’ contributions are just as impressive—from dogs bribing cat owners to wonky time machines to 2009, when the brand was at the forefront of a pop-culture shift in the Super Bowl ad timeline, becoming the first snack advertiser to win an Ad Meter.
Overall, if a Super Bowl commercial vault were ever constructed, PepsiCo and subsidiary Frito-Lay would have their own wing, a museum filled with campaigns from the ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, and today.
But to look at the each brand’s big game impact through the small screen only tells half the story.
“Here’s a good stat for you,” began PepsiCo Beverages North America CMO Greg Lyons. “Two out of every three people who are going to be watching the Super Bowl at home are going to be enjoying a Pepsi Co. food or beverage.”
Life imitates art.
That revelation came at about the halfway point of USA TODAY Ad Meter’s conversation with Lyons and Frito-Lay North America CMO Brett O’Brien, one of the more interesting discussions with quite possibly the top combo in the Super Bowl ad game.
And as the shear volume of those numbers were considered—two-thirds of 90 or even 100 million?—Lyons added to the fuller picture:
“So (the Super Bowl) is just a natural fit for our brands. It’s when we’re at our best as PepsiCo.”
PepsiCo and Frito-Lay are back with three campaigns in 2023, one for Doritos plus newcomers Pepsi Zero Sugar and PopCorners. And while the two marketing execs have the hindsight of all the historically impressive ads mentioned above, the foresight heading into this year comes with added twists and turns.
“There definitely is a change,” said O’Brien. “We’re seeing a considerable amount of ad spending going up because people are way more active on social channels, on digital channels. They’re interacting all across the board—it’s not just one over the other; it’s multiple and often at the same time.”
Social media’s grand entrance on the national advertising stage is a familiar act at this point, but substantial growth within the space is hard to overlook. And, as both Lyons and O’Brien added, it was only a matter of time before brands placed a higher significance on digital areas during the production of Super Bowl ads.
“Creating an ad is no longer about creating an ad,” O’Brien continued. “It’s really about creating an experience around that ad, where consumers can participate, where they can engage differently, where they can make things (just like in the ad) and share content on TikTok that will ultimately end up in an ad.”
The latter part of that layout is not just a guess, either. Doritos has pushed the envelope for the 2023 creative to include fan interaction that culminates in one of social media’s compelling attributes: the possibility of a user suddenly becoming a star.
Ahead of the Super Bowl spot, fans were urged to check out a dance from TikTok sensation Tay (@vibin.wit.tay) and share their best interpretation with the hashtags #DoritosTriangleTryout and #Entry. From there, one lucky winner would be selected to star in the big game spot alongside Missy Elliott and Jack Harlow, and perhaps other surprise talents.
It’s the type of progressive lift that’s not unexpected from the more seasoned advertising vets like PepsiCo, nor is it unique. But grasping social media while juggling the multiple brands, with the numerous teasers and the overall direction, carries a daunting amount of production meetings that seems nearly impossible to control. (The amount of Zoom calls alone—Sheesh!)
The resounding way to describe it? Pressured.
Yet, the simplicity with which Lyons and O’Brien casually explain what many would envision as creative chaos is fascinating.
Lyons reflected on the process, looking at the campaign’s timeframe: “Having done this for a while now, 10 years ago, when you would do a Super Bowl ad, it was all about being the funniest or the most entertaining in the game. And we’re very careful on how we track the return on our investment and marketing. What we’ve learned is our playbook—the ad is still the centerpiece—it needs to be all about the buzz and the talk value you get leading up to the Super Bowl. That’s where most of the value is.”
He continued to explain that PepsiCo factors in a campaign’s advertising stamina when deciding on what the creative will entail, noting that “some creative ideas will do great in 30 seconds and win Ad Meter, but don’t have the stretchability of going on from that.”
Two campaigns that did hit the mark this year were Pepsi Zero Sugar and PopCorners, both of which introduced post-pandemic data into the decisions.
For PopCorners—a healthier snack in the Frito-Lay lineup—it was about introducing variety, with O’Brien pointing out that “more people are throwing bigger parties, they’re entertaining more, so they need to have options for everybody.”
Pepsi Zero Sugar—a first national ad in the Super Bowl for Pepsi in 10 years—follows a similar path.
“Consumers coming out of this pandemic want to be healthier and are watching their calories a little bit more than they were,” Lyons said of the fastest-growing segment. “So, it’s on trend, and we’ve cracked it.”
The focal point of keeping up with consumer trends is another commonality across the marketing landscape, an area that’s seemingly reinventing itself by the second in the Digital Age.
But for Lyons and O’Brien, the shifting on the surface of the market doesn’t change the core of the company. In other words, although each new brand heading for the Super Bowl Sunday stage captures a progressive arc, it is still very much Pepsi—a brand that has six Ad Meter wins, eight runner-ups, and a strong understanding of entertainment value.
The proof is in the casting…
“Breaking Bad” stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul provide a heavy dose of pop-culture relevance in the PopCorners campaign, as does Raymond Cruz (aka Tuco Salamanca) and the show’s creator Vince Gilligan, who was revealed as the commercial’s director.
And the Pepsi Zero Sugar’s headliners—Ben Stiller and Steve Martin—wouldn’t need more than 30 seconds to get wide a demographic of fans laughing.
Will the star power combined with comedic timing and creativity capture the national audience’s attention?
That question brought us back to the midpoint of the conversation, where the overall answer lies within the stat provided by Lyons, which fits perfectly into an analogy:
While there will always be swings and misses in the advertising game, it’s always nice when two-thirds of the players are using your bat.
Life imitates art, indeed.
Wrapping up the conversation as we usually do at USA TODAY Ad Meter, we ended our time with both CMOs by asking what their favorite ad was throughout the years.
Brett O’Brien: “‘Doritos Crystal Ball.’ I love the simplicity of that spot, and it just cracks me up every time I see it.”
Greg Lyons agreed with the 2009 Ad Meter-winning commercial, then added: “On the beverage side—I’m a little biased on this one because I had something to do with it—but ‘Puppy Monkey Baby’ has a very special place in my heart.”
Puppy Monkey Baby—maybe the second most interesting combo in the Super Bowl ad game.
There is not enough room for Ben Stiller and Steve Martin in one Pepsi ad during Super Bowl 57.
So there’s going to be two.
The duo create some laughs in a pair of teasers released by the soda brand which will have a new-look relationship with the football game in 2023.
Pepsi and the Super Bowl have seemingly always been connected at the hip. For the past 11 years, it’s been the Pepsi halftime show at the Super Bowl. This year, that’s changed, but Pepsi is going to be involved on the advert front.
For the first time in three years, Pepsi is going to run an ad campaign during Super Bowl 57 which will have a chance to take home the crown during the 35th year of Ad Meter’s ratings.
In Pepsi’s changeup, the two comedic stars hold a back-and-forth session where they’re really… roasting each other. The quips between the two increase throughout the two teasers.
The first preview has the duo going at it over who is the better actor in general:
In the second, the jabs about acting remain, but they turn the heat up on each other’s on-screen styles and more:
In lieu of the halftime sponsorship in 2023, which Apple Music took over, Pepsi is going to run a pair of ads during the contest. Pepsi CMO Todd Kaplan wrote on Linkedin following the teaser releases that there will be two adverts during Super Bowl LVII:
Two icons. Two Super Bowl spots. Zero Sugar.
This year for the Super Bowl we are excited to share that we are teaming up with Ben Stiller and Steve Martin for our new Pepsi Zero Sugar campaign!
Each will appear in their own, separate standalone Pepsi Zero Sugar ad, marking the first time that either of them have starred in a Super Bowl commercial!
According to E! News, both Stiller and Martin are expected to attend the Super Bowl. Fans can look forward to potentially seeing them both during the game’s broadcast in the stands and during Pepsi’s feature on the commercial scene during the Feb. 12 game.
Is Taylor Swift going to play the Super Bowl Halftime Show? Lots of fans think so.
WAKE UP, AMERICA — AND YES, I KNOW THAT’S AN AGGRESSIVE WAY TO SAY HELLO, BUT THEM’S THE BREAKS BECAUSE WE. HAVE. TO. TALK.
*deep breath*
Twitter lit up early Friday morning when the NFL announced some pretty significant Super Bowl news at the stroke of midnight: They’ve signed a multi-year halftime show sponsorship deal with Apple Music months after ending their deal with Pepsi. (By now you’re asking, “Is THIS why you’re screaming at me right now? Because Apple’s going to be taking over yet another thing? Get lost, CORPORATE SHILL.”)
STAY WITH ME, THANKS.
The announcement’s significance goes way, way beyond the news itself — or at least, we’re pretty sure it might but have no actual confirmation and are making that very clear early on. Because the thing is MANY believe this was a clever way to let the world know what’s really going on here: Taylor Swift might be playing the SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW.
First, the evidence:
The NFL dropped a major press release at midnight.
Any Taylor Swift fan worth their weight in cozy fall sweaters knows midnight is when this girl goes to WORK. She dropped two surprise albums at midnight during the pandemic, the word “midnight” appears approximately 2,000 times in her extensive song catalogue, AND she’s releasing a brand-new album Oct. 21 titled — you guessed it — Midnights.
Any media professional worth their weight in awkwardly worded pitch emails knows dropping big news in the middle of the night would be a weird move for most organizations considering your target audience — the press — is probably asleep (unless you’re me, but I waited six hours to write this because work-life boundaries!)
But midnight is the golden hour for Taylor Swift fans. That’s when we come alive, like vampires if vampires could sustain their existence with relationship trauma, profound emotional growth and eternal spite toward Jake Gyllenhaal.
Taylor’s never performed during a Super Bowl Halftime Show due to her contract with Coke barring her from even LOOKING at a Pepsi.
OK, that’s an exaggeration …probably… but Swifties have spent years wishing Taylor could have the opportunity to play the halftime show and it was unlikely to happen as long as Pepsi was the sponsor.
BUT THEN.
After 10 years of iconic Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show performances, we have decided it’s time to pass the mic. Thank you to the amazing artists and fans who helped us create some incredible moments along the way. Now on to the next stage…
Taylor’s been teasing the track titles of Midnights since the announcement and at the same time the Apple Music news dropped, she announced Track 8: “Vigilante Sh*t”.
OK, I’m admittedly not as skilled at Taylor Swift clue-deciphering as many of her fans, so I can’t actually say this hints at anything resembling confirmation. HOWEVER, it’s pretty smart to drop Taylor Swift speculation at a time when her massive fan base is Very Online waiting for another clue about the new album. It’s also just a great name for a song. (But we’ll need the clean version for the Super Bowl, Tay.)
You might think some of this is a reach, and who knows?! It could be! But I’m not the only one connecting the dots here, and therefore you can’t get mad at me if this theory turns out to be wrong.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is making a switch of beverage partners for the first time in his NBA career.
Ever since LeBron James opted to skip going to college and go straight into the professional ranks, he has had a few longstanding brand partnerships that have followed him from Cleveland to Miami, back to Cleveland, and now to Los Angeles. However one of those longtime partnerships that James has helped him build a business empire is now ending, as James will be leaving Coca-Cola after over 17 years as an endorser for the company, most notably, Sprite.
A.J. Perez and Michael McCarthy of FrontOfficeSports reported on Friday that James will be signing a deal with Coca-Cola rival PepsiCo to become the face of Mountain Dew’s new energy drink and also potentially be the pitchman of the brand’s signature drink, Pepsi. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who very recently wrote a book on all of LeBron’s business deals over the years, “LeBron Inc.,” confirmed the deal.
The move is a massive one for James as far as his on-court partnerships. He signed a lifetime deal with Nike but it seems clear that he and his reps either wanted more out of the Coca-Cola deal or Pepsi simply offered them more than Coca-Cola was willing to give them. Either way, we may have seen the last of LeBron James in Sprite commercials.
https://t.co/RgmwKUAQmM | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/a3FW403LDk
Thank you to the amazing artists and fans who helped us create some incredible moments along the way. 
Now on to the next stage… 
