Pepsi goes 'Back to the Future' with Pepsi Perfect collectible
NEW YORK — Pepsi is going 'Back to the Future' with a new promotion.
Fans of the iconic film trilogy will no doubt remember Marty McFly walking into a diner to purchase a Pepsi in 'Back to the Future Part II' and walking out with a Pepsi Perfect. While Pepsi isn't launching a new brand, it is releasing a new limited edition bottle Oct. 21 to let fans have their own Pepsi Perfect bottle.
"Fans have always been a little crazy about it," says Lou Arbetter, PepsiCo's senior director of marketing, about the scene in the film where a Pepsi Perfect is delivered to Michael J. Fox's character through a futuristic pneumatic tube, "and so we wanted to take advantage of the fact that Marty travelled to the future, to this month, and wanted to actually come out with the product."
The bottle is a limited edition collectible — Pepsi is planning on only making a run of 6,500 bottles — and will be sold only while supplies last. Those looking to purchase the bottle can do so for $20.15, not quite as pricey as the $50 that Christopher Lloyd's Doc Brown gave Marty in the film. The bottle will be sold online, though Pepsi recommends fans check out the company's social media pages closer to the Oct. 21 launch date to know exactly where they can purchase it.
While it won't be coming with a new Pepsi Perfect flavor there will be more traditional Pepsi Made with Real Sugar inside for fans to drink out of the 16.9-ounce bottle.
"We're fans of this popular trilogy, and just generally, if you work at Pepsi you're fans of pop culture. The brand has made its mark in pop culture frankly since Michael Jackson moonwalked. We've been dancing in and around pop culture for a while," Arbetter says. "So we look at this as another opportunity to have a little bit of fun."
Pepsi will also be distributing 1,500 Pepsi Perfect bottles ahead of its general release during New York Comic Con this week to fans dressed as Marty looking to "complete their outfit," Arbetter says.
Pepsi is part of a growing list of companies joining in on the fun of the original film's 30th anniversary. In January, Nike announced that they would be releasing a version of its self-lacing Nike Mag shoes that were featured in Back to the Future Part II later this year, while Reston, Va., will be renaming itself "Hill Valley" in honor of the film from Oct. 21 to Oct. 25. Movie theater chain AMC will be hosting all-day screenings of the trilogy Oct. 21 and Amazon will be streaming all three films to users of its Prime Video subscription service throughout October.
Nike to unveil 'Back to the Future' self-tying power laces in 2015
Several companies have tried to create the hoverboard seen in Back to the Future II, but none have had much success. And though Back to the Future II has gotten many things right about 2015, including its prediction of the prevalence of handheld computers, video chatting and an obsession with movie sequels, it remains to be seen if the Cubs will indeed win the World Series this year as the film predicted.
Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal