Pepsi Highlights the Joy of Simple Choices in Hilarious Campaign Directed by Dan French

As part of Pepsi’s new rebrand, Dan French directs a fun and ironic commercial that captures the essence of making good choices. 

Unfolding like the start of a movie and narrating Terry’s misfortunes, the spot unravels when the “Pepsi God” intervenes, guiding Terry to finally make a good decision—to drink a Pepsi. This simple choice is then humorously exaggerated, creating a visual metaphor for the epic satisfaction that comes from making the right call. 

Director Dan French brought a unique vision to the project, building on the initial concept by setting the scene in a derelict cinema. The brutalist architecture and the on-the-nose film title, “Instant Regret 3,” set the tone for Terry’s misadventures. Art director Riccardo’s creation of a full cinema light frontage with a neon sign contributed to the legitimate and visually striking look of the opening shot, while director Dan French chose to sprinkle clever details like a line shaved into the back of Terry’s head by a dodgy barber, adding to the comedic atmosphere.

One of the most exciting elements of the production was the creation of a big gold statue of Terry. On set a 3D scan of the actor was taken and then a mannequin dressed in his clothes was used to get the perfect folds. 

Night shoots during summer posed a challenge, with the crew constantly chasing sunlight. On the final day, a piece of equipment failed, forcing the team to shoot the inside-the-Pepsi-machine scene in daylight. They ingeniously blacked out a flower shop and used green screen techniques, combined with a DJI handheld vlogging camera to capture the necessary background plate. Dan’s resourceful approach demonstrates how even on large productions, simple, ingenious solutions can be the most effective. 

Dan French said, “This was so much fun to shoot, with lots of work to adlib some fun performances from the actors. We ran a few different versions of the dialogue for the news reporter, reactions from Terry and even get the crowds shouting “do the pose” as he stood in front of the statue which leads us into him copying the statues pose and having his final sip. There’s so many little easter eggs in the sound mix and visuals, even the posters outside the questionable cinema which were designed by me for awful sounding B Movies like ‘Gnomeaggedan’ - which I to be honest, I would actually love to see.”