As if being gobbled up by BGM weren’t enough of a shocker, MuchMusic sites in Toronto and Vancouver were hijacked from midnight to 6 a.m. July 14. The perpetrators staged a unique media event to launch Pepsi-Cola Canada’s new youth-oriented soft drink Dew Fuel.
Pepsi’s Dew Fuel kidnaps Much sites for all-nighter
The concept, says Tony Chapman, CEO of Toronto’s Capital C, ‘was to tie in the DNA of the brand – Explicit Energy – with an all-night party,’ with the first three hours staged in T.O. and the final three in Vancouver.
‘We developed Dew Fuel from scratch,’ he explains, ‘after Pepsi assigned us the Mountain Dew Energy brand last fall. We went back to them with a complete makeover including a new name, positioning and brand key, packaging and creative template, including digital, promotion, point of sale, advertising, and sampling – a full 360.’ Diana Hanson is brand manager of the renovated brand, which has its own website, with kick-ass animation, www.dewfuel.ca.
Capital C’s Live Event Division produced the hijack party, which involved live bands and videogaming.
Chapman lauds OMD for ‘believing in the concept’ and also credits music and entertainment marketing agency Jet Star Entertainment’s collaboration and the support of brands like Xbox 360.
