Go big or go home: Pepsi summons hip-hop royalty for Super Bowl showdown

You can tell Pepsi-Cola's creative team had a lot of fun with their Super Bowl budget this year.

Summoning not one, but five hip-hop legends, Pepsi has once again forgone an in-game ad, pouring spend into its half-time show sponsorship, curated by Jay-Z's Roc Nation.

And the trailer, which has racked up almost three million views since it went live yesterday, is enough to make the most die-hard Coca-Cola fan switch sides.

Documenting how each artist got "The call" for the Super Bowl gig, the ad opens with Eminem in the middle of a rap battle with his alter ego, Slim Shady.

Next up, the one and only Snoop Dogg is seen cruising down a palm-lined LA street, making the most of the classic car's soft suspension. Until he gets the Super Bowl call and makes a swift exit.

Mary J Blige gets the call in the middle of a glitzy fashion shoot, while Kendrick Lamar is seen working on lyrics for his next album, before the Super Bowl gig drags him away.

And last but not least, Dr Dre is seen walking down a beach, as a piano emerges from the waves, playing the iconic opening riff to Still D.R.E, which features Snoop Dogg.

Pepsi the brand is weaved throughout, from a branded bus stop when a bunch and girls sip on cans to a Times Square takeover.

The three-minute showstopper was directed by F Gary Gray, the mind behind Straight Outta Compton.

The production company is Radical Media, Barking Owl was in charge of sound with The Mill on visual effects.

Beyond the trailer, the drinks brand has created a Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show app, to house halftime-show-related content from behind-the-scenes footage to drinks promotions.

To encourage fans to download, the full video is only available on the app.

“We wanted to make sure it was cinematic in terms of the epicness and scale that only this kind of show deserves,” explained Pepsi marketing vice-president Todd Kaplan.

“This is our biggest brand asset in the game—the 12 minutes of the show itself—and we think we can create engaging and entertaining content for our fans for weeks, bring them closer to the experience, and still deliver our objective on game day of winning share of voice as the most talked about brand.”