Consider the predicament of foosball players. Bound to a steel rod, their maneuverability is limited. They are prisoners on a tabletop field of plastic green. In this case, the table is in what appears to be a dormitory recreation room.
However, for a fleeting moment—even with their rod-impaled necks—two teams of human foosballers seem almost liberated by the sight of a Pepsi bottle perched atop the table’s edge. They are animated into action and dialogue. A player eyes the beverage with longing.
A facing player from the opposing team picks up on the situation. "You thinking what I’m thinking?" he asks.
"Winner takes the Pepsi," responds the foosballer who first saw the bottle.
A spirited game begins. A player kicks the ball off the table, hitting a dartboard, loosening several darts which fall to the floor, causing a cat to scurry out of the way.
Indeed, these are no ordinary athletes. To the savvy fan, the teams are Manchester United and Juventus, each with star soccer players. Spinning on the rod, a goalie makes a dramatic save. And then a teammate ricochets a shot off the Pepsi bottle past the other goaltender. Players celebrate the game’s first goal.
But then reality rears its ugly head. A couple of teenage lads enter the rec room. The foosballers become motionless, assuming their inanimate ruse.
"There it is," says one of the teens, grabbing the Pepsi and taking a hearty swig of the beverage. He and his buddy then head for the door, much to the anguish of the foosballers.
A player lets out a cry. "Hey, get back here." Others join in the protest.
One of the teenagers looks back and asks his buddy, "Did you hear something."
"No," he responds.
The boys walk out of the room, making that momentous first goal scored now a moot point sans Pepsi.
As the foosball players continue to mouth off, a Pepsi logo and an accompanying slogan "Ask For More" are supered across a shot of the table.
"Foosball," a :45 with a :30 version, is airing in Europe. It was directed by Tarsem of bicoastal/international @radical.media for BBDO New York.
The BBDO contingent included Phil Dusenberry, chairman/chief creative officer; Susan Levine, group creative director/art director; Jordan Allen, associate creative director/copywriter; Brian Mitchell, producer; and Loren Parkins, music producer.
Jon Kamen served as executive producer for @radical.media, with Tommy Turtle producing. The spot was shot at Shepperton Studios, London, by DP Paul Laufer.
Visual effects and post were done at The Mill, London. Alistair Thompson produced for The Mill. Flame artists were Angus Kneale, David Houghton and Matt Wilmshurst. 3-D artists were Hitesh Patel, David Levy and Kevin Modeste.
"Foosball" was edited by Russell Icke of The Whitehouse, London. The Mill’s Fergus McCall was the colorist. Audio mixers were Rohan Young and Oliver Usher of Scramble, London, and Rob McIver of Buzz, New York.
Jim and Elizabeth Morgan of Kondor Music, New York, were the composers, with Bob Montero executive producing and Robbie Kondor producing.
Sound designers were Michael Cook of M62, London, and Kerry Smith of bicoastal Elias Associates. Also for Elias, Alex Lasarenko and Keith Haluska were creative director and producer, respectively.
