Pepsi and the New York Knicks are marking the start of the 2026–27 NBA season with the commercial rollout of "Champions Deserve Pepsi", a regional marketing campaign honouring the team's championship title and its fan base.
Rolling out across the New York Tri-State region, the campaign features limited-edition packaging, digital outdoor advertising featuring real fan photography from the playoff run, and a consumer sweepstakes offering match tickets. The initiative builds upon Pepsi’s multi-year status as the official soft drink partner of Madison Square Garden, an association established in 2018.
"The fans have inspired this campaign from the beginning," said Gustavo Reyna, Vice President of Marketing at Pepsi. "Every step of the way, we've seen how they were showing up for the Knicks and found new ways to show up for them. Champions Deserve Pepsi is the next expression of that, celebrating an incredible championship and the New Yorkers who were there for it."
Limited-Edition Championship Packaging
The centrepiece of the retail push is custom commemorative packaging designed to drive impulse purchase velocity and collectability across supermarket chillers and convenience stores:
🥤 16-Ounce Championship Can: A limited-edition single-serve can featuring bespoke New York Knicks championship iconography, available across participating retail accounts in the Tri-State area.
🥤 20-Ounce Bottles (Regular and Zero Sugar): Co-branded 20-ounce bottles for Pepsi and Pepsi Zero Sugar featuring team graphics and on-pack QR codes.
Shoppers scanning the point-of-sale QR codes are directed to an exclusive sweepstakes platform. In a specific numerical nod to the 94–90 Game 5 victory that secured the championship title, the promotion will award 94 fans—one for every winning point—with a trip to Madison Square Garden.
Former Knicks shooting guard John Starks surprised select supporters with an early preview of the commemorative cans ahead of the retail launch.
"Once a Knick, always a Knick, but the real honour is being part of this fan base for life," said Starks. "New York fans bring an energy you can’t find anywhere else, and they deserve to be at The Garden celebrating this team. I love that Pepsi is putting fans first and giving even more of them a chance to experience it for themselves."
Digital Billboards
The retail product drop is supported by high-impact outdoor media placements across New York City streets, deploying digital billboards that showcase real imagery of supporters captured during the team's playoff campaign.
The creative execution continues themes established during the postseason, which included scavenger hunts for collector cans across the five boroughs and real-time digital advertising featuring fan celebrations. By integrating community user-generated content into mass-market out-of-home advertising, the brand reinforces regional brand affinity heading into the opening tip-off at Madison Square Garden.
