Pepsi Gundam Front Campaign

Say what you will about the taste of their products, Pepsi sure has a good marketing record. I remember a few years ago around the time of Celebration Japan, they released mini Star Wars Bearbricks with bottles of Pepsi Next. That was awesome, but...well, you don't soon forget the taste of Pepsi Next.

Anyway, the other day at a convenience store, I spotted some regular Pepsi cans with Gundam designs and a big "Gundam Front" logo. The printing and designs were excellent, so I assembled as many different ones as I could and snapped some shots:

More after the jump:

Then I felt guilty and bought one. (How long have I been here?) Well, it was only 120 yen, and a nice chance to snap some outdoor pics:

There's a huge design, marketing, and collecting culture around this sort of thing, especially with candy toys. Remember this shot from Ameyoko Street?

Not so much my thing, but I like to report on the scene once in a while. Considering they're giveaways with low-cost consumer goods, some of the toys are pretty amazing. I often see cool little toy cars given away with 120 yen cans of coffee. Pepsi Next (so cold...so dark...mommy?) often bundles nice toys with small bottles.

In terms of packaging tie-ins, that's a near constant in Japan, with hot properties like One Piece as well as evergreens like Hello Kitty, Kamen Rider, and Gundam.