By: Mustafa Shamseldin, Chief Marketing Officer Africa, Middle East & South Asia, Pepsico

Mustafa Shamseldin, Chief Marketing Officer – Africa, Middle East and North Africa PepsiCo

Music is magic. Especially its noteworthy (pun intended) ability to connect and engage with audiences in a way that resonates, complementing brand promise as a result. And because music is so often a collaborative art form, it generates such wonderful opportunities for marketing teams to tap into brand-influencer collaborations. 

Over the course of more than half a century, Pepsi has made music a key part of our marketing. We know that music is a key passion point for our audience and an organic platform to connect with them through storytelling. By way of many successes and also learnings, we’ve created connections between Pepsi, artistic expression and youth culture, collaborating with creative talent across the globe. Music also makes us smile, and considering the many repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve set out last year bring back more smiles.

For such a project, it’s important to recognize that when consumer centricity is based on a human truth, it can guide the entire creative momentum of a project. People wanted to feel good and smile again, and in our latest musical collaboration – one of our biggest ever in Saudi Arabia (garnering 2 million views in its first week) – we’ve turned to Arab megastar and singer Hussain Al Jassmi, who composed the feel-good melody of ‘Hay Hal Sot’, while the lyrics have been written by Saudi Arabia’s leading poet, literary icon and national treasure, Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsin. The song proudly chronicles Saudi Arabia’s beauty, bountiful nature, and rich cultural traditions. 

Music brings people together, Pepsi brings people together, and through our engagement initiatives, we love bringing artists and influencers together. The song has led to a 90-second TV film, with more collaborative appearances, including Cosmicat – the first female Saudi DJ, and violinist Abdelrahman Badr. A common vision between artists, brands and goals is crucial, because partnerships that align with the brand spirit, drives stronger relevance and purpose – paving the way to a success story.

As a brand, Pepsi has quite a legacy in the world of music, building balance between global and local participants, creating cultural relevance in the process. Pepsi has always been passionate about pushing the limits of creativity, while also making people smile. Through music, we’re able to deliver on this – and in quite spectacular fashion too.


From gladiator-themed musical extravaganzas with Beyonce, Britney and Pink rocking the Super Bowl season, to bringing Alicia Keys to the UEFA Champions League Final – creative expression was indeed the name of the game, and remains very much so. In 2018, we honored some of our iconic musical partnerships with limited-edition cans featuring superstars Ray Charles and Britney Spears, complete with retro Pepsi logos from each artist’s era.

And although many world-class musicians have starred in Pepsi’s Super Bowl Half Time Show performances and marquee ads, our ambition to connect people to Pepsi through music, has also meant supporting and empowering the emerging musical talents which are part of the millennial canvas, through platforms like Pepsi Sound Drop. In the Middle East, we backed the first music video of Syrian singer and Arab Idol winner Hazem Sherif. Now United is an excellent example of a music group that we support at the emerging artist level, helping them grow their fan base, spreading brand love and involving them in our ecosystem. 

Music travels safely, even when people cannot – and throughout the extraordinary events of 2020, tuning in to music and virtual concerts became a powerful way for people to connect, reflect and de-stress. Last year Pepsi sponsored a global entertainment special organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and advocacy group Global Citizen to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a powerful reminder that music influences so much more than pop culture. It calms us, it excites us, it can make it easier for us to stay where we need to be, not only where we want to be. It syncs our psyche.

You could say music is as much our heritage now as it is in our DNA. But even more than that, I’d like to think that it’s collaboration and co-creating smile-worthy moments that form the chains of our genetic code.