Marshawn Lynch has turned something he got fined for into something he is now getting paid for. The Seattle Seahawks running back is now Pepsi’s newest spokesman in a commercial launch where he only has to move his lips.
Pepsi-Cola worked with ad agency BBDO New York for this ad, which was quietly launched on Pepsi’s YouTube page last weekend and has since gained more than 720,000 views. The commercial is creative because the company utilizes Marshawn, who is notorious for refusing to speak to media, and plays on the humor of that by lip synching him to a woman’s voice.
The news is not only big for the Seahawks star, but also for BBDO New York. The two brands worked together for nearly 40 years on iconic ads starring the likes of Michael Jackson, Michael J. Fox, and Cindy Crawford.
The two brands went their separate ways in 2008 when Pepsi went to another one of the Omnicom shops, TBWA/ Chiat/ Day. However, now it looks like they are working again and may also be in the future. A Pepsi spokesperson told Adweek, “Pepsi is happy to be working with BBDO [New York] again, and we continue to work with a range of creative agencies. Our other relationships remain unchanged.”
Lynch has been associated with several brands besides Pepsi, including Skittles, which he is known to snack on before every football game. He recently entered a partnership with underwear company PSD, with whom he will be creating a new brand of Beast Mode underwear.