The other day I was driving home from work when I heard the most ludicrous commercial I’ve heard in a while for this thing called “Pepsi Max.” It is diet soda for MEN. Manly, manly diet soda, not that any real man would want to lose weight or watch his calories. It’s just in case he wants to eat a pound of bacon later, he can save up those calories otherwise wasted on a Pepsi. I absolutely did not make that part up.
Sadly I seem to be the only person who has ever heard this spot, because it’s not on the internet, and no one else I know listens to the radio in the car. But here’s a TV ad for it:
In case you can’t watch, here’s a quick rundown.
Dudes are not bothered by: all manner of grevious bodily injury; head wounds; causing serious harm to others.
Dudes are extraordinarily bothered by: diet soda.
Now, in terms of being extraordinarily bothered by diet soda, I’m right there with dudes. That stuff is disgusting. I don’t really like sugar to begin with–I was looking at Pepsi varieties on Wikipedia, and apparently they have unsweetened Pepsi in Europe, which sounds kind of awesome–but fake sugar adds that special ass flavor to take it from something I’m not crazy about to something I won’t touch with a ten-foot pole.
I am however bothered by injury, both on myself and others.
I get that we live in a culture where women have more pressure on them to be thin than men, and through a special sort of non-logic that works out to watching your weight being a feminine trait and therefore something a manly man cannot do unless he wants his man-card revoked. At least in terrible commercials. Normal men pass on dessert all the time, at least in my experience.
After watching this and being kind of baffled by it, I wondered why this was man-cola. Surely it must differ in some way from lady-cola, right? Maybe it’s got testosterone or viagara in it? Enzymes to make digesting bacon easier? Grows your chest hair? Gives you super-burps?
No? It’s got Ginseng and slightly more caffeine? But still less caffeine than a cup of coffee, and it’s still sweetened by the same stuff? Oh. Well then. Obviously being awake is for dudes, then. Sleeping is so damn girly.
The answer here is “marketing,” of course. Here’s a spot from early 2008 about Pepsi Max:
Clearly Pepsi is trying some reverse psychology here, like I did when my brother and I would split up Halloween candy, and I would pretend to really like the Bit O’Honey or whatever, so he’d take it, and I’d get the Snickers bar. (Sorry about that, dude.)
The Illegiterati 
Interesting…I had never seen it aimed at guys. Was it originally aimed at guys, like in that first ad? I have only seen the ads in the movie theater before shows…but never targeted at the guys. Strange. I wonder if they changed their marketing one way or the other. I’ve never tried it. Last thing I need to do is give my insomnia any more fodder.
:p
Apparently, in the middle of the Notorious BIG biopic, Puffy gives Biggie a crappy sample and some beats and tasks him with writing a radio hit. Puffy leaves and Big says, “Alright, I’m going to need some Pepsi and some MORE WEED.”
Then he bangs two hookers and freestyles the lyrics cold when Puffy returns to record the track. All thanks to Pepsi. Think what he could have done with Pepsi Max?
I’ve got to admit, that radio ad was hilarious. I was laughing the whole way through. Sure, it’s a bunch of bull–but I’d like to hear it again! haha
I think its realy good subject
You make tnghis so clear. Thanks for taking the time!
I’m in Dallas and I don’t call it soda or pop if I want a coke I call it coke if I want Dr. Pepper I call it Dr. Pepper I don’t get the whole soda pop thing either. I had senoome ask me for pop once and I was all huh?