Pepsi Celebrates Some Of Mexico's Most Renowned Cities In 'Glocal' Campaign

For those consumed with wanderlust, a global pandemic shutting borders and confining one to the home can be stifling. Getting out to see new cities and experience other cultures is on the backburner for the time being. Even exploring one’s city or country is precarious at best.

It might seem like an odd time to launch a global campaign celebrating local cultures at first blush, but if ever there was a moment to reflect on the unique traditions and special character of home, now is the time.

“In a year where most of us aren’t traveling outside of our home countries, we wanted to celebrate the local culture that makes our regions unique through limited-edition Pepsi cans. Our in-house global Pepsi design team created a design framework that our local design teams executed. This ‘glocal’ approach resulted in authentic can art for fifteen countries to date that truly reflected the pride of each nation,” said Gianmauro Vella, PepsiCo senior design director of Asia Pacific, Australia/New Zealand, China (APAC) and Africa, Middle East, and South Asia (AMESA).

One of the countries that have been featured so far in the “Glocal” Pepsi campaign is Mexico, a nation of over 128 million people, with a rich culture that reflects a diverse range of influences, including pre-Hispanic civilizations, European empire-builders, and Asian and Arab immigrants.

Pepsi’s Mexican campaign focuses on six of the nation’s regions, a broadly pan-Mexican representation of the country that highlights the varied traditions one can find across the over 761,000 square miles that comprise America’s neighbor to the south. Drawing influences from folk art, architecture, and geography, the limited-edition cans highlight and celebrate some of Mexico’s signature examples of culture and tradition.

The Baja California city of Mexicali gets represented by its famous desert landscape and dual coasts along the Pacific and California Gulf. Ocean waves get paired with flora and fauna native to the peninsula, like cardon cactus, starfish, and whales. Similarly, the can representing the city of Monterrey finds inspiration in the local vegetation found in the Nuevo Leon city.

Mexico City’s (or CDMX) can harkens back to the great Mesoamerican civilizations that once occupied the Valley of Mexico with a meandering pattern along the bottom that's evocative of the canals of Xochimilco. The ceramic tile-like designs on Puebla’s can pays homage to the city’s distinctive Talavera poblana style pottery. The rich tapestries of the states of Jalisco and Yucatan also get showcased on the Guadalajara and Merida containers, respectively.

Pepsi’s “think local” approach not only means highlighting regional sources of pride but also including the local partners that know the markets best, bringing authenticity and respect that would perhaps be difficult otherwise.

“Collaboration is key! This project provided us a unique opportunity to explore Mexican culture,” says Daniela Maldonado, design manager for PepsiCo Latin America Beverages. “It was very important to partner with the experts in the Mexican market, who understand the local traditions better than anyone, avoiding stereotypes and creating something that felt authentic and respectful. So, it was vital that we worked with our amazing partners Grupo GEPP and our agency Pierini Partners to bring creativity to life.”