The Brilliance of Pepsi Max’s “Uncle Drew”

I love sports. I love marketing (most of the time). But for my personal sanity, I don’t always like or desire to bring those worlds together in this forum. However, occasionally, something great demands it. In this case, it’s Pepsi Max and Uncle Drew.

I’ve never tried a Pepsi Max, but they’ve already got me hooked on Uncle Drew…and that’s something. Heck, I’m talking about the brand and the product here only because of its clever marketing. We at The Legend fawned over the original Uncle Drew video, featuring Kyrie Irving as an “old-time” baller coming back to school the new school. For those just joining the party, you can check out the first video below:

And while Irving and Pepsi Max scored big on this original clip, what’s impresses me most then was the idea. It could be bigger. It could live on.

Well, it is and will likely continue to do so. Enter Uncle Drew, Chapter 2.

What’s so great? Sure, it gets some more laughs. And, frankly, the dialogue isn’t even as good. But the magic is that those behind this concept developed something that is far beyond a one-hit-wonder. With the introduction of Bill Russell and the notion of “getting the crew back together,” we’re now set up to see Uncle Drew’s team come together. The formula is genius. From the second Irving walked into that hardware store, I was already imagining what the tall, white-haired gentleman would do once he hit the court…and who exactly he was.

They’ve already built in intrigue around each “reveal.” In this case, it’s Kevin Love. It begs the question for fans of this now-series….Who’s next? What’s the full squad? The luster may fade, but the foundation has been laid. Kudos to Pepsi Max and their folks for coming up with an idea and thinking through how it could be all it can be.

I’ll be ready for chapter three. Whenever, whomever and wherever that may be.