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PepsiCo's Soundless Super Bowl Commercial Sure to Break Barriers
By Yoji Cole
January 25, 2008
The idea for this Super Bowl commercial was a little different. It wasn't going to feature a celebrity, a hip tune or even a jingle and was to air without sound. And it was to feature two people "speaking" to each other using American Sign Language (ASL) while drinking Pepsi and eating Frito-Lay chips.
What's important to note is that this idea came from a PepsiCo employee without disabilities who is a member of EnAble, the company's employee-resource group for people with disabilities. PepsiCo is No. 10 on The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list.
Because the general market rarely showcases advertising for people with disabilities, the idea may sound like more of a public-service announcement than a commercial for the Super Bowl, a game expected to attract 90 million viewers. But PepsiCo's commercial "Bob's House"--scheduled to air on the FOX network's pre-Super Bowl show--while silent, is sure to be the talk of the nation.
"We think the spot will be attention grabbing, funny and memorable," says Clay Broussard, who had the idea for the commercial and works as a project manager for supply chain at Purchase, N.Y.--based PepsiCo.
If "project manager for supply chain" doesn't sound like marketing, you're right. Broussard was out of his element. But being outside one's element is nothing new for Broussard, who can hear, but regularly attended a church for people who are deaf. He is a member of PepsiCo's employee-resource group EnAble. The group's members are employees with disabilities and employees who are friends or family members of someone with a disability. Find out why employee-resource groups are hidden assets and why your company needs them.
Broussard remembered a common problem people who are deaf face when searching for an address and people in the neighborhood don't speak ASL. He came up with the idea for "Bob's House" and then ran it by other EnAble members. They loved the idea so much they decided to make the demo tape themselves.
The demo tape generated internal buzz and quickly gained support from PepsiCo senior management. PepsiCo, like other companies listed on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity, increasingly enlists the help of its employee-resource groups when trying to create culturally competent marketing. Sometimes the marketing ideas come directly from the groups.
"We're interested in making sure PepsiCo is the choice for [people with disabilities]--employer of choice and partner of choice. Being that those are our goals, we thought, 'What better way to do it than with advertising?'" says Broussard, who appears in the final commercial along with PepsiCo colleagues Sheri Christianson, Darren Therriault and Brian Dowling.
"[EnAble] talked to marketing and made sure we were doing it right. [EnAble] did focus-group studies and ultimately presented a demo of it to senior management, and as soon as they saw, it they green-lit the project," adds Broussard.
In the spot, two men who are deaf drive through a suburban neighborhood where it's dark and tough to see the home addresses. Compounding their trouble is that neither can remember which house is Bob's. As they quarrel in ASL, the driver gets the bright idea to honk the car horn. After he honks a few times, lights in the homes turn on and Bob's neighbors stick out their heads. Once the pair see the house that remains dark, they know it's "Bob's House."
PepsiCo also ran the final commercial concept by the National Association for the Deaf (NAD). "The NAD applauds PepsiCo for its strong commitment to diversity and creation of this exciting ad in ASL with its employees. This ground-breaking ad will heighten cultural awareness by millions of viewers during Super Bowl Sunday," said Bobbie Beth Scoggins, president of NAD.
"Bob's House" was produced by Harvest and directed by the company's cofounder, award-winning director Baker Smith. It came to life thanks to the cooperation of BBDO-NY, which supported the idea and agreed to create the commercial for no profit, and OMD, which secured a valuable pre-game time slot and accepted no commission for its efforts.
"It's a one-of-a-kind breakthrough ad and I think it does a lot to highlight the diverse community we live in and do it through humor. What better way to do that?" says Broussard.
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