The ads are fueled with the spirit of optimism incorporating the brand’s new identity. The English campaign launches across the country this week.

“We’re targeting a mindset with this new campaign, not a demographic.” says Cheryl Radisa, vice-president, consumer marketing, PepsiCo Beverages Canada. “The campaign demonstrates a strong focus on the spirit and optimism of youth which is succinct with Pepsi’s brand belief. We’re also employing a new approach to our consumer communications strategy by engaging them through all of the mediums they interact with every day.”

The 'Joy It Forward' English campaign uses television and billboard ads that are synonymous in their look to radiate the feeling of joy. The ads use light and bright colours that intrinsically make people feel more optimistic. Bold words and phrases in the ads use the new Pepsi 'smile' logo in place of the letter 'o'. 'Smile More', 'Enjoy', 'Jump for Joy', 'Hooray', 'Joy it Forward' 'Jump on' and 'Let’s Go' are some of the phrases that appear in the outdoor ads, encouraging consumers to spread the joy.

High-impact media placements will spread the joy by making cities a little bit brighter: Toronto’s Dundas Square is experiencing a billboard takeover, while buses and trains will also brighten city streets and railways with brightly coloured wraps in Halifax, Vancouver, and Calgary.

The 30-second 'Wordplay' television spot is visually identical to the outdoor media. Set to the tune of Energy by the group Apples In Stereo, Pepsi’s 'Joy it Forward' message spreads on the small screen with bright colours, bold text and music, driving viewers online.

Online, a banner campaign features ads that instantaneously change copy with culturally relevant thoughts and phrases as they happen. In addition, a 'Joy Meter' housed on joyitforward.ca serves as a virtual meter that aggregates content to measure what people are doing online to spread the feeling of joy.

As a sponsor of the 2009 Much Music Video Awards, Pepsi will be spreading the joy to those that cannot physically attend the event June 21/09 with the first-ever digital 'Backstage Live' experience. Six cameras mounted in key locations around the MMVAs will broadcast in real-time on http://mmva.muchmusic.com/category/pepsi-backstage.

Pepsi will also have a presence at a number of festivals and events nationally throughout the summer, where a street team will be encouraging consumers to share their 'moments of joy' and upload to the 'joyitforward.ca' Web site.

“The insight behind the campaign is that people typically gravitate toward and draw energy from other positive action and people,” says Ian MacKellar, executive vice-president, executive creative director, BBDO Toronto. “When like-minded positive thinkers unite, they can collectively influence the world around them in a positive way. We’re taking the joy of PEPSI into the very fabric of Canadian pop culture and sharing it with positive-minded consumers in new and innovate ways.”

In Quebec, where Pepsi is celebrating its 75th anniversary, a separate campaign centres around the evolution of Pepsi over the course of 75 years and delivers a retrospective look at the province’s heritage with the brand.

A 60-second television ad entitled 'Evolution' displays a fast sequence of historic images and video clips that highlight significant joy moments in Quebec. At the same time, the viewer also sees the Pepsi brand evolving through the years. The spot concludes in the year 2009 - 75 years after the first bottle of Pepsi rolled off the production line in Quebec, with a bottle of Pepsi being cracked open. The voice-over then says (in French), “Go on, take a drink. You too can be part of all the joy that is yet to come.” Viewers are then directed online to visit icicestmieux.com.

Billboard and superboard ads in Quebec feature the evolution of the Pepsi brand with the original Pepsi cap on the left, a 'refresh' logo in-between (two arrows pointing forward and backward to form a circle) followed by the new Pepsi logo on the right. 'Ici c’est pepsi' (Here, it’s Pepsi) appears at the bottom.

Online, the Web site asks Quebecers to join others who are doing their part to brighten our world, and share their gestures by posting a picture or video to the site. The idea is that one small action can often change everything and ultimately create a movement of spreading joy.

The launch has been a collaborative effort among the brand team, bottler (Pepsi Bottling Group) and following agency partners: BBDO Toronto (mass advertising), BBDO Montreal (Quebec mass advertising), Proximity Canada (digital), Capital C and OSL (point of sale/retail), Launch! Toronto (events), OMD (media), and Praxis PR (public relations). Production House: Ricochet City, Toronto.

Watch 'Wordplay' TV spot.