Every football fan knows game day isn’t complete without the tailgate experience – hours spent in the parking lot grilling, enjoying ice cold Pepsi, blaring music and prepping for kickoff. With social distancing in place this season, fans may be unable to go to their beloved stadium so Pepsi is paving (literally) a new way for fans to unapologetically keep this tradition alive and pre-game at home. To do this, Pepsi searched far and wide for a diehard football fan who was willing to completely transform their front yard, creating a fully decked out, stadium-parking-lot replica, or “Homegate” experience.
Cindy and Family Celebrate After Winning Pepsi Homegate The Ultimate At Home Tailgating Experience. © Theo Wargo
Enter Cindy, a lifelong, passionate Jets fan from Piscataway, New Jersey Pepsi found who jumped at the chance to change her idyllic suburban front yard into the loudest, proudest shrine to the J-E-T-S in the tri-state area; one that would make the regulars off exit 16W on the NJ Turnpike proud. With 1,500 square feet of her yard paved over with parking lot asphalt, Pepsi pulled out all of the stops, including a fully-painted end zone; a lifesize team-branded Jet; a 65″ flat screen TV; a stadium lot light tower; a Pepsi fridge; a brand new grill; a true-to-size stadium parking lot booth; some well wishes from Hall-of-Famer and Jets legend Curtis Martin; tents, seating and much more.
“Tailgating has always been one of the most anticipated and enjoyed rituals of the NFL gameday experience,” said Todd Kaplan, VP Marketing, Pepsi. “With all the uncertainty surrounding this year’s NFL season, Pepsi wants to bring that authentic stadium experience into the home so that fans can still enjoy this cherished tradition. We want to encourage fans to take their ‘homegates’ to the next level, by unapologetically representing their team to the entire neighborhood.”
While Cindy is repping the Jets loud and proud, Pepsi wants to make sure fans across the country can also keep their tailgating traditions from the comfort of their own homes. The brand is bringing an at-home tailgating experience to 20 lucky fans. At nearly $5,000 in value, this customized 16 square foot tailgating box has everything fans need to transform their Sunday-tailgating ritual into one that will make even their neighbors who root for their rival team jealous. It includes an outdoor projector, Pepsi branded seating, high-end speakers, a one of-a-kind Pepsi cornhole set and of course, Pepsi product. For a chance to win one, fans should check out @Pepsi on Twitter and MadeForFootballWatching.com/Homegate for more detail.
“Tailgating is such an important and fun part of the game day festivities for our fans, and we know they’ll be missing that tradition this year,” said Curtis Martin, Hall-of-Fame Jets Running Back. “It’s really incredible to see Pepsi deliver this over-the-top tailgate party to Cindy and her family, so they can create that same type of J-E-T-S game day energy from home.”
The Pepsi Homegate experience and Tailgate-in-a-Box are part of the Brand’s 2020 football campaign “Made for Football Watching,” which spotlights the NFL’s passionate football watchers and focuses on bringing the stadium experience home to fans this season. The campaign comes to life in a number of ways including brand new TV advertisements, an online hub to host content, a suite of social filters designed to help immortalize the football watcher, and more.
