Project Overview

True fans are always finding new and bold ways to express their love for the game, and the Design Team wanted to push co-branded team merchandise to new levels to engage UEFA Champions League Fans. We wanted to elevate the design of the existing merchandise to better reflect our brands’ positioning and create truly enviable pieces that would send fans and their friends clamoring to add new Pepsi® or Lay’s® UEFA swag to their wardrobes.

Organisation

PepsiCo Design & Innovation

  

Project Brief

We created a unique collection of merch items for both Pepsi and Lay's that tie to evergreen campaign visuals for multi-year use, and allowed our brands to become front and center in the world of football while maintaining the equity we've already built year after year. We created a collection of more than thirty items across both brands, ranging from clothing and accessories and even extending to home goods. In designing this collection, we wanted to introduce custom, football-forward designs that reflect our brands in both strong and playful ways. We connected to football fandom with classic items like jerseys, sports bags and football scarves. We also extended into the lifestyle category with fashion-forward bucket caps, baseball tees, and oversize fits.

Project Innovation/Need

We know our fans love football first and foremost, so we ensured the UEFA Champions League was represented in each of the designs, while retaining strong colors and visuals that reference Pepsi and Lay's. For Pepsi, we were inspired by the new FIZZ Visual Identity System, bringing bold pattern and color and always a touch of the UEFA starball because we know football fans want to experience football ownability. For Lay's, we optimized the existing global licensing toolkit for UEFA Champions League, with bold Lay's colors and elements of trademark UEFA Champions League.

Design Challenge

This project sought to solve two challenges. Historically, Pepsi and Lay's have rewarded their fans with tickets to United UEFA Champions games, but the global COVID-19 pandemic limited game experiences to at-home viewing. So, we were looking for a new way to boost our relevance among UEFA Champions League fans. We also knew we had an existing collection of merchandise offered to the markets, but it had largely been stock items with a logo applied. We saw an opportunity to create a line of Fan-centric merchandise that would increase the swag-level of our brands.

Effectiveness

Now with this upgraded and extended line of merchandise, when consumers win merch from Pepsi and Lay's, it feels less like a giveaway and more like a gift⁠. Each one is a truly unique and desirable item that football fans can wear proudly while watching their favorite matches and supporting their favorite team.