Sofia Vergara picks up where she left off in 2011—i.e., as pretty much the perfect advertising spokeswoman—in this energetic new Diet Pepsi spot, premiering Sunday evening during the Golden Globe Awards on NBC.
As we've mentioned before, the Modern Family actress's appeal is all but unmatched among her peers. No one else is quite the same mix of sexy, talented, funny, fashionable and multicultural. And Vergara is at her best when she's doing broad comedy—which makes a brand like Diet Pepsi perfect for her. In an earlier spot, she teamed up with David Beckham for a goofy beach commercial. Now, TWBA\Chiat\Day amps up the energy with a slapstick dance number (choreographed by Mark Ballas) in which Vergara moves through a Miami nightclub, dealing with one doofus suitor after another, in pursuit of the coolest partner in the room—a can of Diet Pepsi.
Directed by McG, the ad features an updated version of the old song "Whatever Lola Wants," performed here by Ruby Stewart, the daughter of Rod Stewart. Visually, the ad looks great. It also taps into the popularity of shows like Dancing With the Stars (on which Ballas is a celebrity performer) and has the same outsize, inoffensive, middle-America appeal as that program. "Nothing refreshes like a Diet Pepsi" remains as the tagline.
Vergara got her break, at the age of 17, in a Pepsi ad in Latin America. More than 20 years later, she's the epitome of the modern spokeswoman, and still likes her soft drinks.
CREDITS
Client: Diet Pepsi
Spot: "Dance"
Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles
Chief Creative Officer: Rob Schwartz
Group Creative Director: Brett Craig
Creative Director: Xanthe Hohalek
Art Director: Helena Skonieczny
Art Director: Mindy Benner
Copywriter: Omeed Boghraty
Copywriter: Suzanne Sherwood
Managing Director: Bill Brooks
Group Account Director: Mike Litwin
Account Director: Tara Mellett
Management Supervisor: Ellie Brigden
Account Executive: Kali Cushing
Group Planning Director: Oke Mueller
Planning Director of Integrated Strategy: Justin Acuff
Senior Account Planner: Natalie Puccio
Executive Producers: Anh-Thu Le, Mila Davis
Senior Producer: Elizabeth Giersbrook
Assistant Producer: Kaitlin Moore
Director of Business Affairs: Linda Daubson
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Laura Drabkin
Talent Payment Manager: Maryam Ohebsion
Broadcast Traffic Coordinator: Eugene Gandia
Production Company: Holmes: Defender of the Faith
Director: McG
Director of Photography: Ramsey Nichols
Executive Producer/Line Producer: Ben Dossett
Executive Producer: Jeff Armstrong
Editing Company: Union Editorial
Editor: Jim Haygood
Assistant Editor: Dylan Firshein
Producer: Lynne Mannino
Postproduction: The Mill
Executive Producer: Sue Troyan
VFX Producer: Sabrina Elizondo
Production Coordinator: Mary Melendez
Lead Flame Artists: Billy Higgins, Tim Bird
Nuke Artist: Edward Anderson
Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld
Music, Sound Design: Squeak E Clean
Music Production: Squeak E Clean Productions & Mario C.
Executive Music Producers: Zach Sinick, Carol Dunn
Arrangers: Rusty Logsdon, Brent Nichols
Sound Design: Squeak E. Clean Productions
Mix: Lime Studios
Mixer: Joel Waters