Pepsi Culture Can LTO – Mexico

The challenge for this project was really the state of the world during COVID-19. Last year the world seemed fractured and dissonant as a virus spread - totally ignoring our borders and checkpoints. In the middle of it all, rising above the chaos, the spirit of people rang louder than any pundit. We came together. You heard it in the pots and pans echoing throughout Rome. You tasted it in the food distributed by mutual aid networks in Burma. You felt it on the streets of Brooklyn at socially distanced dance parties.

Our design solution was to take ethnographic and art history insights to develop contemporary illustrations that are infused with youthful vigor. These six collectible limited-edition cans tell authentic stories from the regions they represent. Stories that connect with folks in a meaningful, emotional way. Why? Because we tapped into hyperlocal traditions of textures, patterns and symbols. We brought the unique stamps of six regions across Mexico to life.

We invited our supply chain into the process of changing the packaging region by region. Our packager, distributors and retails all had input on the process. And as a result, this was a major success, both internally and externally. We realized highly motivated feature and display resulting in an 11% lift in sales. We doubled earned media expectations. But at the end of the day, the Pepsi Culture Can Series was about using design to put a smile on peoples' face. It was about doing our small part to bring people together, even when they can't be together.

Our inspiration came from the valiant ways people all across the world coped with the pandemic. Nation by nation. City by city. People came together while staying six feet apart. Last year took many things from us. But it couldn't take our identity. Our pride. Our sense of community. The Pepsi Culture Can Series is a global platform designed around those things that bind us together. The symbols. The food. The images. The music. The architecture. All the stuff of culture we turn to for a ray of hope when it's darkest before the dawn. This global series celebrates the spirit, the culture and the community of our local markets.