Pepsi releases 'Live For Now' ad starring Nicki Minaj

The "now in the moment" ad broke this weekend in America. It uses a remix of Nicki Minaj's single 'Moment 4 Life'.

The ad opens with a man and a woman simultaneously opening a can of Pepsi, at which point the busy street scene around them freezes.

The pair pass through a series of lively scenarios, from a packed beach to a fashion show where people are frozen in mid air.

The pair end up at a Nicki Minaj concert where they bring the crowd and the performers to life by opening a can of Pepsi.

Chief creative officer Rob Schwartz worked on the ad with creative director Xanthe Wells, art director Chris MacNeil, and copywriters Brett Craig and Michelle Lewis. The production company is MJZ.

The campaign is part of Pepsi's first global positioning, which seeks to align the brand closely with the entertainment industry and aims to "capture the moment of now". However, the UK roll-out date is yet to be confirmed by PepsiCo.

The first phase of the campaign, an interactive digital platform called "Pepsi Pulse", launched at the start of the month. It operates in real-time and aims to curate trending entertainment news, popular culture and content at www.pepsipulse.com.

Pepsi will integrate a series of entertainment partnerships as part of the global work, including a tie-up with Michael Jackson's estate that will see the artist's image placed on limited edition cans of the brand in over 20 countries.

A further partnership with Paramount Pictures will see a series of retail promotions, special edition cans and live events centred on pop artist Katy Perry's upcoming film, 'Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D'.

Simon Lowden, chief marketing officer at Pepsi Beverages Company, said: "Pepsi has a rich history of inspiring fans to connect with pop-culture and entertainment and providing them with unparalleled experiences in relevant, authentic, and new ways.

"We wanted to create an ad spot that is true to Pepsi's DNA and speaks to the essence of living for now."

Follow Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith on Twitter @LoullaMae_ES

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk