Nicki Minaj is the latest in a long line of musical acts to sign on to shill soda. Her Pepsi commercial bowed Monday morning and, in a word we never thought we”d use in association with Minaj, it is boring.
The extended version follows a young couple, who, upon opening a can of Pepsi, find themselves very alive in a sea of other people frozen in mid-activity, whether they be mid-skateboarding, mid-volleyball game, or, oddly, mid-tomato fight. There are also 30- and 60-second versions, in addition to this 90-second cut.
They go to the beach, walk the runway as part of a Betsey Johnson fashion show (clearly before Johnson filed for bankruptcy) and, ultimately to a Minaj concert, all while a remix of “Moment 4 Life” plays. They open up another can and unfreeze Minaj, whom we see performing the song in concert, and, thank goodness, the tomato fighters.
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First off, the song is one of Minaj’s duller songs. Even though it was clearly chosen for the “Moment 4 Life” title, it has none of the urgency that one would associate with living in the now: “Starships” would have been such a better choice. The scenarios are silly-I”m not sure what straight 20-something male craves to be at a Betsy Johnson fashion show as a big moment of his life- and the tomato fight looks like some bloody B-movie. Even Minaj looks like she”d rather be elsewhere.
The Minaj commercial is part of a much bigger campaign that will also include Katy Perry and Michael Jackson. It is all part of Pepsi”s campaign to bring in young soda drinkers who have been lured away by energy drinks.
What do you think of Minaj”s Pepsi commercial?