Life After Lockdown

Pepsi's New Spot About Shared Germs Toes a Risky Line as We Emerge From Pandemic Isolation

It's a stressful watch after training to avoid these exact situations for 14 months

pepsi-backt-to-normal-2021 — Coworkers share the same soda, people touch each other's food and karaoke singers belt into one another's faces in Pepsi's new spot.Pepsi

By Kathryn Lundstrom

Leaders from Glossier, Shopify, Mastercard and more will take the stage at Brandweek to share what strategies set them apart and how they incorporate the most valued emerging trends. Register to join us this September 23–26 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Consumers are desperate to return to normal. With vaccinations widely available in the U.S. and a sense of cautious optimism settling over the country, advertisers are hoping to tap into that positivity—and past the political division that’s defined the past year.

Pepsi’s new spot, “The Mess We Miss,” highlights all the ways we thoughtlessly shared germs in a pre-pandemic world—something that might feel a little stressful after training to avoid these exact situations over the past 14 months.

Kathryn Lundstrom

Kathryn Lundstrom is Adweek's sustainability editor.

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