Pepsi Max launches CGI ad in Copenhagen.
Client: Hero Agency
Jumping on the CGI wagon, Hero agency aimed to create a CGI ad, signaling the arrival of the new CVI for Pepsi in Copenhagen. We wanted to combine Danish visual markers with the essence of the “arrival of something new and big.”
A plausible and realistic CGI ad that grabs your attention, involving a native Danish marker, without copyright or IP infringement, that makes sense conceptually.
The goal.
Pepsi wanted a spectacular yet realistic and believable, SoMe-friendly, short-format CGI ad while also communicating the arrival of Pepsi Max in Copenhagen - all while the central action unfolds within the first 3 seconds.
The challenge.
Strict rules on public landmarks in advertising made it difficult to use a recognizable Danish reference without copyright issues. We needed a familiar marker known to Copenhageners beyond obvious landmarks.
The idea.
Ultimately, we returned to the core question: why did Pepsi need this ad? To signal the arrival of something new and big. With that, we found the perfect stage well known to Copenhageners, and a concept that tied it all together.
Arrival, big, Copenhagen, Pepsi…
We called the concept 'Train of Thirst'—and Pepsi was immediately on board (pun intended).
The concept became clear: a giant train of Pepsi Max cans rushing through Denmark’s busiest train station. While extremely unlikely, it’s somewhat possible—and with that sliver of plausibility, we invite the Danes to ask, “Wait, did that really happen?”
Our goal was to find a sweet spot between 100% unsurprising realism and 100% 'well, this could obviously never happen in real life.'We wanted something spectacular but improbable, yet totally possible.
Preparing the shot for
a CGI production.
Even though we filmed with a 4K sony camera, we wanted the motion of a spontaneous recording, shot on phone. While this gives a more authentic feel, it required extensive 3D tracking, as the shot not only moved erradic, but also had the added challenge of motion-blur and lens distortion.
We 3D scanned an entire section of Nørreport...
Now that movement and animation were locked, lighting became the next challenge. A traditional setup wasn’t enough due to the cans’ reflectivity, so both environment and light placement had to be precise. We therefore 3D scanned Nørreport Station. While a monumentalt task, this not only helped with realism and light placements, but was also a tremendous help in getting the sense of scale right.
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