Getting Fresh

After 23 years fronting the big bucks, Pepsi has ditched its Super Bowl advertising for 2010 and is instead ploughing its $20-million budget into an entirely different scheme, with not a footballer or pop star in sight.

As part of the brand’s Refresh Everything campaign, their latest venture – the Pepsi Refresh Project – is a social marketing campaign of gargantuan proportions.

Over the coming months the drinks giant will be handing out millions of dollars in grants to fund community projects across the States, covering everything from arts and culture to housing, health and education. Those with a plan to refresh their local neighbourhood can submit ideas at refresheverything.com, and at the end of each month ideas will be offered up to the public vote.

And keeping its youth appeal, the project will also tie in with Simon Fuller’s new online reality show If I Can Dream, following five hopefuls trying to break into Hollywood.

www.refresheverything.com