Kurt Russell dishes out his first Super Bowl ad on set – Exclusive
USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa speaks exclusively with Kurt Russell on the set of his first Super Bowl commercial with beer brand Michelob Ultra.
Polar bears may be considered Coca-Cola’s spirit animal, but Pepsi is playing a furry character in its new Super Bowl commercial.
The ad, titled “The Choice,” premiered online on Thursday, January 29, and features the polar bear long associated with Coca-Cola ads, performing a blindfolded Pepsi challenge and pointing its paw at Pepsi Zero Sugar over Coke Zero Sugar.
After releasing a teaser video for its upcoming Super Bowl commercial on Jan. 26, Pepsi released the entire 45-second ad online on Thursday, Jan. 29. A 30-second version will be aired during the big game on February 8th.
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According to Pepsi’s news release about the ad, the results of the Pepsi Challenge lead the bewildered bear to realize that he is addicted to Pepsi products and embark on a “journey of self-discovery.” He visits a therapist played by commercial director and Academy Award-winning film director Taika Waititi (“Jojo Rabbit”).
As Queen’s classic song “I Want to Break Free” begins, he meets a fellow bear who loves Pepsi Zero Sugar and finds himself being “Coldplayed” with a drink on the jumbotron at a concert.
Mark Kirkham, chief marketing officer at PepsiCo Beverage Co., told USA TODAY that poking the bear, which has partnered with Coke for years, “makes it fun when you have someone who seems to be in sync with someone else.” “It makes it interesting. It makes it interesting, it sparks a conversation. And I think that’s what the Super Bowl is for.”
Pepsi’s revival of the Pepsi Challenge comes 50 years after its creation.
“It gives us the confidence to really reignite the conversation around taste,” Kirkham said.
Pepsi becomes prime-time player with Super Bowl commercial
The new commercial is the latest in a long history of securing Pepsi’s place in pop culture. Over the years, the brand has frequently produced the top Super Bowl commercials based on USA TODAY’s Ad Meter ratings. Perhaps one of the most famous ads, a 1992 ad featuring Cindy Crawford quenching her thirst with Pepsi, actually lost out to a Nike commercial featuring Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny.
A combination of live-action and computer-generated imagery was used to create the new spot. “I love a good challenge, so I jumped at the chance to participate in what many consider the biggest pop culture contest outside of streaming vs. theaters,” Waititi said in a statement. He also directed Ray’s “The Little Farmer,” which took second place in last year’s USA TODAY Ad Meter, and last year’s Mountain Dew Baja Blast ad starring singer-actress Becky G and singer Seal. “I’m honored to be able to contribute in some small way to Pepsi’s tradition.” – and the iconic Cola War. ”
Kirkham said Pepsi doesn’t automatically rise to the top in Super Bowl advertising. The brand’s creative team is also thinking about “how can we make this more than just an ad during a game? And how can we actually turn it into a cultural moment and not just an ad,” he said. “I think Pepsi’s history of doing that speaks for itself.”
PepsiCo also plans to air a Super Bowl ad for Poppi, the prebiotic soda it acquired in March 2025 for $1.95 billion, and a commercial for Lay’s. Although there are no ads for Gatorade, another brand, Kirkham said it “probably has more in-game exposure than any 30-second ad” because the drink is on the sideline and often tossed out by winning coaches.
But the ads that PepsiCo is running represent the transformation that we’re making as PepsiCo,” he said.
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
