The first diet cola for men, eh?

After getting a chuckle out of the slapstick comedy of Pepsi Max’s “I’m good” Super Bowl spot, I decided to peruse Pepsi’s site and found an even more amusing commercial that I hadn’t seen on the air.



Mmmm, pepper spray. Between the exaggerated theories of what makes Pepsi Max taste so good and the manly crushing of the can “made from the hull of a nuclear submarine,” the spot and deep voiced announcer might just appeal to the furrier gender. But are either commercials enough to get men to drink a diet cola?

Pepsi’s attempts to create a low calorie beverage for men who are trying to be healthier but not wanting to have to say “diet, please” at the drive-thru window, have the facts to back up the product launch. With one-third more caffeine than Diet Mountain Dew, Pepsi Max also contains ginseng, a trendy energy drink ingredient.

Wondering how much further Pepsi Max had taken the campaign, I was shocked to find BBDO Dusseldorf’s print ads, featuring an illustrated suicidal calorie. Two of the ads are playful enough to be humorous, the beaver chewing through the log is even slightly amusing. But the cartoon calorie offing itself with a gun takes it too far. Pushing the boundaries is one thing, Pepsi Max will get a reaction, but I don’t imagine a very positive one. And the bizarre ads are European, go figure.

Maybe men will love “their” cola, but I could see Pepsi Max following in the tracks of its cousin, Crystal Clear Pepsi, with its small cult following of fans that still write petitions to Pepsico to bring it back. Another hurdle will be the competition, Coke Zero, sharing the men target – but Pepsi is the first to bravely position themselves as "diet."