Sting is writing the playbook for new age marketing

Fashion Value Chain

a day ago

In a landscape overrun with visual noise and fleeting attention, Sting Energy is flipping the script – using sound as a shortcut to belonging, buzz, and F1 fandom. With the latest chapter of its Sound of Sting campaign, PepsiCo India's high-voltage brand is amplifying a bold cultural frequency – not just creating a campaign, but igniting a movement.
Sting launches a contest – spot the sound of 'stinggg' and comment for a chance to win Grand Prix tickets
Timing That Hits the Apex
Launched at a moment when Formula 1 is dominating national conversation – fuelled by the growing pop-culture buzz around racing – Stings campaign lands at cultural peak velocity. With fan anticipation building ahead of every key moment, Sting is strategically tapping into the surge – embedding itself in moments that matter most. The brand isn't just catching attention – it's riding the wave of a cultural crescendo.
Link to view the video: www.instagram.com/reel/DLcrmLGzqlL/igsh=MTBha3BoamRuY3Ixeg==
Sonic-first. Fan-focused. Culture-fuelled.
With its landmark partnership with Formula 1, Sting is dialling up fan engagement through immersive, audio-first storytelling and community-driven activation. The Sound of Sting is not just a catchy motif – it's a sonic identity built from the roar of a real F1 engine. A sharp, high-frequency signal that now functions as both an ad trigger and a cultural cue.
'This isn't just another campaign with a soundtrack,' said Vandita Pandey, Vice President, Marketing, International Beverages – Hydration and Energy, PepsiCo. 'Sound is identity. It's how today's youth connect, react, and belong. By transforming the emotional jolt of an F1 engine into a signature Sting cue, we're not just marketing – we're engineering experience.'
Spot the Sound, Win the Ride
In one of the campaign's most thrilling fan activations to date, Sting is offering fans a chance to turn up the volume – literally. The promo is simple: hear the 'stinggg' sound anywhere, tag the brand sharing where you heard the Sound of Sting, and stand a chance to win tickets* to a Formula 1 Grand Prix. (*T&Cs apply.)
What makes it disruptive is this: Sting isn't just broadcasting sound, it's getting fans to seek it out. The brand has seeded the sound across unexpected touchpoints – reels, influencer content, online and in-theatre advertising – and invited fans to go from passive listeners to sonic explorers.
Brilliant by Design: Discovery as the New Distribution
This leg takes the story further – from controlled brand placements to fan-driven discovery. The campaign thrives because users carry it forward, seeking it, reacting to it, and expanding its reach.
Today, culture demands participation. Sting's new playbook reflects this shift – moving beyond simply placing a logo on a moment to creating moments that live within culture. The brand is crafting experiences that are unexpected, interactive, and designed to travel across audiences. By tapping into youth instincts like curiosity, sharing, and play, the campaign plugs into moments that matter. Sound becomes a Trojan horse, enabling Sting to enter conversations organically rather than interrupt them. This isn't just about partnering with F1 – it's about amplifying a cultural pulse that fans are eager to follow.
The campaign is also being amplified through a partnership with BookMyShow, reinforcing Sting's presence at the intersection of entertainment and energy.
Hijacking Attention: From Sonic Drops to Social Sparks
From influencer activations to Easter-egg audio placements, The Sound of Sting is showing up in unexpected places – a creative entry into Indias soundscape. Whether it's a creator remixing the Sting into content or fans stumbling onto it mid-scroll, the campaign is thriving on discovery.
What makes it brilliant marketing is that the audience doesn't just consume the content – they chase it, remix it, and build on it. That's how The Sound of Sting is transforming from a brand asset to a shared cultural signal.
Already, reactions have poured in: creators like Nayandeep Rakshit,Arjun Madan and Shiv Khandelvwal and more, urging followers to 'listen up,' fan edits turning the sound into memes, and Sting content lighting up reels with F1 flair.
The sound is no longer just heard – it's shared.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.