AND THE NEW BRINGS PEPSI'S 90S-INSPIRED ACTIVATION TO LIFE THROUGH SOCIAL-FIRST CONTENT PRODUCTION

AND THE NEW partnered with Pepsi to create a suite of social-first content around one of the brand’s most distinctive experiential activations: a nostalgic 90s-themed pop-up bar built inside a repurposed video store. It was the kind of brief that demanded more than clean event coverage. It needed creative that could capture atmosphere, design and emotion in a way that felt as immersive online as it did in person.

Working with a global brand like Pepsi reflects the broader direction of the agency and of AND THE NEW Studios in particular: bringing high-quality, social-native content production to brands that want more than polished footage. They want work that is creatively sharp, built for modern channels and capable of extending the life of a campaign beyond the physical space itself.

That is exactly what this project was about.

THE BRIEF: CAPTURE NOSTALGIA WITHOUT MAKING IT FEEL STAGED

Pepsi’s ask was clear. They wanted a video that captured the essence of the activation, showcased the creativity of the design team and brought the full consumer journey to life in an engaging, social-first format. The space itself did a lot of the heavy lifting: a 90s-themed bar experience accessed through a retro Pepsi vending machine, set inside a reimagined video store. But translating that into content is a different challenge altogether.

Experiential campaigns often look impressive in person and underwhelm on screen.

The risk is that they become documentation rather than storytelling. A walk-through. A sizzle reel. A record of what happened rather than a creative extension of the idea.

From the outset, our role was to avoid that trap.

WHAT WE PRODUCED

To do that, we created a hero video supported by 360-degree content, designed to immerse viewers in the experience from the moment they entered the space. The objective was not simply to show the activation, but to recreate its mood and transport audiences into the world Pepsi had built.

That meant focusing on the details that made the experience memorable: the anticipation of entry, the surprise of the reveal, the design language of the space and the layered visual references that made the activation feel rooted in a specific era.

The output was built to work as social content first. Not as a cut-down from a larger brand film. Not as an afterthought. The structure, pacing and visual treatment were all geared towards making the content feel native to the platforms where audiences would actually encounter it.

THE CREATIVE APPROACH: UNMISTAKABLY 90S

The strongest part of this project was the opportunity to lean fully into a clear creative world.

Our direction drew heavily from the visual grammar of the 90s, both in how the content was captured and how it was finished. We used digicams and 360 cameras to create a more tactile, era-appropriate feel, then reinforced that in post with VHS textures, vintage transitions and authentic visual glitches that echoed the look and imperfections of the decade.

That choice mattered.

Nostalgia only works when it feels specific. Too many throwback campaigns rely on surface-level references. This brief gave us the chance to build something more coherent: a visual treatment that matched the set design, complemented the concept and helped the content feel like an extension of the experience itself.

The result was a dynamic, nostalgia-driven visual story that celebrated the activation’s design innovation while making it easier for digital audiences to connect with the campaign, even if they never stepped inside the venue.

WHAT THIS PROJECT SAYS ABOUT AND THE NEW

This Pepsi project is a good example of the kind of work AND THE NEW wants to keep doing more of.

Creative production with a clear concept. Content designed around audience behaviour, not just brand guidelines. Delivery that feels social-first without sacrificing craft. And the ability to step into projects for major brands and produce work that is both strategically considered and visually distinctive.

For AND THE NEW, it is another marker of range.

For AND THE NEW Studios, it is further proof that our production offer can flex across categories and work just as effectively for globally recognised consumer brands as it can for clients in sport, entertainment and live experience.

And for Pepsi, it meant turning a smart experiential idea into content that could travel further, last longer and make a stronger impression beyond the room itself.