MUMBAI: Global beverage brand Pepsi has partnered with Microsoft Xbox to create a Pepsi Max branded football game based on its recent ‘crowd surfing‘ football ad and is the first of its kind for the gaming and entertainment service.

The game is based on the TV ad which features footballers like Didier Drogba and Lionel Messi , thus forming a part of Pepsi Max‘s Max It! campaign.

The brand hopes that this new Xbox LIVE mini-game will enable Pepsi Max to leverage its high-impact TV advertising collateral in the interactive gaming environment.
 
The game on Xbox Live comprises three levels where users select an avatar and take on Pepsi Max’s footballers in a series of challenges, which recreates scenes from the TV ad. The players receive digital prizes, such as Pepsi-branded avatar T-shirts and themes to personalise their home screens, when they complete each level.

For promoting the games, the brands will make use of video banners on the Xbox Live dashboard so that those who click through will be taken to a Pepsi branded destination, where they can see the TV ad and play the game.
 
In addition to this, the beverage brand has created an application on Facebook that enables users to star alongside the Pepsi footballers.

Earlier this month, Pepsi unveiled its first global marketing campaign, with strategy to align itself closely with the entertainment industry, under the strapline ‘live for now’.