JLG client Pepsi is getting into the movie business by producing a feature film based on Kyrie Irving as “Uncle Drew”. The character, who made his debut in a viral Pepsi video in 2012 that racked up 10 million views in less than a month and has almost 50 million views to date. Uncle Drew has since been featured in a series of popular videos and Pepsi recently launched a dedicated UncleDrew.com website. The new movie is being created by PepsiCo's Creators League unit, a new internal division dedicated to producing scripted content across all platforms.
In addition to extending the Uncle Drew videos into a movie, in a licensing deal brokered by JLG, there is also a line of Uncle Drew branded apparel now available on UncleDrew.com. The t-shirts, sweatshirts, joggers and hats all feature catchphrases from the videos. Prices range from $25 to $60.
Pepsi’s new brand extension was featured by AdAge, ESPN and Variety.