Coca-Cola outspends Pepsi 3:1.  Just running the global spot – where ‘Johnny Twist’ turns up in unexpected places to tell people about Pepsi Twist – wouldn’t cut through.

Instead we hired an actor to play Johnny. 

The actor then ‘interrupted and disrupted’ Turkey’s top celebrities and TV viewers alike by running through live programmes, abseiling through TV station’s idents; and leaping out of TV screens and newspapers at unexpected moments.

Johnny Twist cut through Turkey’s ad-clutter, out-shouted Coca-Cola and by being proudly unconventional became a cult amongst young adults – some even started dressing like Johnny!

What Makes This Submission Special?

Using ‘interruptions’ was a Turkish first – this was essential as ‘surprise’ was crucial for impact.

However the meticulous planning that went into the campaign made it special:

For example each live interruption was planned with that show’s director to ensure Johnny Twist wasn’t just background but caused maximum ‘disruption’:

He blocked out celebrities, cut through interviews; descended from ceilings; and brought chaos to normally smooth flowing shows.

And he always knew which camera to face.

The celebrities’ reactions – genuine shock and surprise – turned advertising into TV moments that generated ‘did you see’ word of mouth.

On 24 different occasions.

Consumers have already voted this campaign a winner: at Turkey’s supermarkets, kiosks, cafes and restaurants.

Communication Goals

Coca-Cola has 2/3rds of the Turkish market.  Pepsi Twist, with a flavour more inline with local taste, is key to winning ground.

The campaign needed to encourage trial so only a simple message was needed:

‘Pepsi Twist has a great taste.  Try it!  You will be surprised!’

The young, cool Johnny Twist was the right advocate but the campaign needed huge impact.

By ‘interrupting’ celebrities and audiences alike the live Johnny Twist grabbed their attention when they least expected a commercial message.

By being ‘disruptive’ Johnny conveyed the right attitude to appeal to a cynical, young audience.   

This, and subsequent word of mouth, generated enough curiosity and interest to make young adults actively select Pepsi Twist.

Media Solution

A product trial message doesn’t need lengthy commercials, heavy budgets or high frequency.

It just needs impact: to register with people and to generate enough curiosity to encourage sampling.  

Adopting a strategy of ‘Interruption and Disruption’ did just that.

There wasn’t a single execution in ‘normal ad space’.  Instead by embedding Johnny Twist into content we grabbed people’s attention when they were actively consuming media (and not tea-making). 

To introduce the character, we ran tactical press ads with every placement being a media first to add to the ‘interruption and disruption’ of the campaign:

Johnny Twist appeared on front pages of magazines, protected ‘pin up girls’ modesty and leapt out from business sections.

We also ran Johnny Twist ‘supers’ over TV stations idents (reaching people before they ‘zapped’) and during crucial moments involving the Turkish International football team - a team Pepsi already sponsors.

Then over a two week period Johnny appeared 24 times across the eight highest rating live shows including interrupting and disrupting Hülya Avşar - Turkey’s Nicole Kidman.

67% of the young adults saw Johnny Twist; it generated massive word of mouth and became a cult amongst young people.

Crucially they didn’t just adopt the character: Pepsi Twist sales were 50% above target. 

And all on a budget less than most TV commercial production costs.