poppi and VIRTUE Return to the Super Bowl with Soda Thoughts

Let’s face it, in 2025 choosing to drink soda is not a simple yes or no decision. We all know that flip-flopping feeling that comes when you want to indulge in a soda, without the guilt or sacrificing taste. 

Returning to the Super Bowl for a second year, poppi is kicking off its new brand campaign. Their :60 hero commercial “Soda Thoughts” gives consumers the freedom to love soda again. Crafted in partnership with poppi’s creative partner VIRTUE Worldwide, the spot playfully unpacks the universal inner struggle around drinking traditional sodas, flipping it on its head by espousing the virtues of this new kind of soda, which provides all the flavour without the baggage. 

“There is no bigger soda moment than the Super Bowl, and we’re thrilled to have been a part of it for the second year in a row,” says poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth. “This is the biggest way to reach a mass audience and introduce new fans to the poppi brand. We wanted to show people that they have better soda options, and continue to engage with our community by amplifying some of their favourite creators.”

The Super Bowl commercial is a compilation of five spots. Using dynamic, colorful visuals to reimagine classic soda moments, from a diner to a drive-thru, it shows that enjoying soda doesn’t have to mean compromise. This concept showcases that all-too-familiar feeling of overthinking, creating a set of witty and fun scenarios that indulge this short-circuit moment of indecision we’ve all experienced. Gen-Z creators Alix Earle, Jake Shane, and Rob Rausch star in the commercial. Each has worked with the brand in the past. 

The hero spot is part of the larger brand campaign of the same name that will continue to roll out throughout 2025. ‘Soda Thoughts’ extends the brand’s mission to revolutionize soda for the next generation, with the spots themselves each playing into the relatability of overthinking - a feeling we all intrinsically understand - even for the decision to have a soda.  

“In last year’s Super Bowl spot we introduced the future of soda and put a stake in the ground that poppi is THE better-for-you-soda. This year we wanted to go a little deeper with a powerful consumer insight. We’ve all been there…when you’re at the movies, at a party, ordering a burger…and you just really want a soda. But you get stuck in an analysis paralysis because you think soda isn’t good for you," said Chris Garbutt, chief creative officer of Vice Media Group and president of VIRTUE Worldwide. "Cue poppi. It not only tastes great, but it’s a better soda, without the baggage, so you can have your burger and soda too. The future of soda is now. And we’re really excited to show the world what that looks like.” 

The campaign was directed by one of the industry’s most prolific and sought-after directors Dave Meyers. Dave is known for his work with today’s top artists including Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift, and in the advertising industry, for the famous Apple iPod Silhouettes Campaign and work with other major global brands. 

In 2024, poppi and VIRTUE released the brand’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial - the “Future of Soda” - was the most watched ad of Super Bowl LVIII, reaching 29.1M households (per Samba TV).