This is Why Pepsi and Coca Cola Wont Advertise During the Super Bowl

Beverage giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi won’t be advertising their sodas during this year’s Super Bowl so don’t expect any commercials.

According to Variety, both companies will be sitting out of advertising at this year’s game.

Instead of using the Super Bowl to advertise its trademark soda, Pepsi is replacing its traditional Super Bowl ad slot with a new campaign, which will lead in to the game’s halftime show featuring The Weeknd.

Pepsi is sponsoring the Super Bowl’s halftime show for the tenth year and this year will mark the first time the company has featured its halftime show talent in a commercial about the show.

“Brands are always typically falling over themselves to get a 30 [second spot] and do something fun on social and try to connect and cut through,” Pepsi VP of Marketing Todd Kaplan told CNBC in an interview. “We’re really going to take the experience from 12 minutes into six weeks.”

Pepsi’s ad will feature people restocking grocery shelves, blow drying their hair, cleaning their pool and doing other solo activities while dancing along to or singing The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” song.

“I do think though consumers now are really looking for optimism and kind of a bit of escapism, you know, given what everyone’s been through it,” Kaplan said. “I think no matter what the nation is going through … people like music. It’s a little escapism, and just enjoyment in everyday life, showing these everyday moments.”

Coke said in a statement to CNBC that it will be in the sidelines this year. “This difficult choice was made to ensure we are investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times,” spokesperson Kate Hartman said.

Coca Cola has seen revenue fall 13% during the first nine months of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The company had missed out on sales at restaurants, gas stations and office buildings. PepsiCo receives a smaller proportion of its sales from away-from-home occasions.

Shares of Coke have fallen 14% in the last year while PepsiCo’s stock has risen 2% in the same time.

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.