ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show app was created by Pepsi in order to engage fans leading up to, during and following the Halftime Show performance. The app, which is available through both Apple’s and Google’s app stores, houses a myriad of exclusive halftime-show-related content including behind-the-scenes footage with the artists, promotions and giveaways.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

The 2022 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show had an incredibly strong cultural impact, and the launch of the app only enhanced that success. By providing sports fans a new way to interact with the biggest entertainment moment of the year, it allowed us to build excitement at greater levels than had been seen before. Beyond the immediate results, the app demonstrates the power of meeting sports fans where they are and signals how brands are growing in that direction. In addition, it further shows how fans are embracing technology in the ways in which they engage with sports and the increasing relevance of a brand’s digital presence.

Objective: The 2021 Super Bowl Halftime Show embraced virtual engagement unlike any show prior, and Pepsi saw the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show as an opportunity to do even more in that space. As they planned the 2022 show, the brand was looking to achieve two goals. The first was to engage fans in more ways than ever before. Every year, that is a goal Pepsi has with the Halftime Show at large, so it was channeled when thinking about what purpose the app would serve. The second goal was to provide even further access to the best 12-minutes of entertainment in the year. Knowing that more sports fans are enjoying the game from home than ever before, Pepsi knew the Super Bowl Halftime Show app could be a way to reel in those fans more than we ever have before.

Strategy & Execution: The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show app was designed as a place for fans to gain access to unique offerings that could only be accessed by downloading the app. One way we did this was by offering several giveaways related to the game. Whether that was providing winners with the opportunity to view the Halftime Show from the sidelines at the game or footballs signed by all five artists, we drew sports fans in through prizes we knew would excite them.

Since not everyone could win these giveaways, we also wanted to offer something that everyone could enjoy on the app, and that was through exclusive angles of the Halftime Show performance. For fans that wanted an even more immersive experience, they could utilize the Ultra Pass, powered by Verizon, which gave app users access to unique camera angles of the halftime show that weren't available to TV viewers of the 12-minute telecast.

Results: From January 2nd to February 14th, the app received 526,000 downloads, earning a top 3 ranking for all iOS apps and a top 4 ranking for all Android apps. The app saw over 1.3MM sessions and 3.81MM engagements since January 2nd. Users rated the app 4.7/5 stars on iOs and 3.8/5 stars on Android. 388,000 users joined the Ultra Pass for an average of 11 minutes and 36 seconds, an all-time high for Verizon.

Production

Credits

Adam Harter
Senior Vice President of Marketing - Media, Sports & Entertainment
PepsiCo Beverages North America

Justin Toman
Head of Sports Marketing
PepsiCo Beverages North America

Melissa Duhaime
Director of Sports Marketing
PepsiCo Beverages North America

Sophia Omuemu
Manager - Sports Marketing
PepsiCo Beverages North America

Todd Kaplan
Chief Marketing Officer - Pepsi
PepsiCo Beverages North America

JP Bittencourt
Vice President of Marketing
PepsiCo Beverages North America

Richard Funaoka
Director - Pepsi
PepsiCo Beverages North America

Karissa Downer
Marketing Manager - Pepsi
PepsiCo Beverages North America

Kristen Mueller
Senior Director - Pepsi Brand Communications
PepsiCo Beverages North America

Lane Borgida
Manager - Pepsi Brand Communications
PepsiCo Beverages North America

James Mayfield
Senior IT Specialist
PepsiCo Beverages North America

Brian Houze
Project Director
WillowTree

Matthew Yohe
Engineering Director
WillowTree