Fans of the WEC, and more specifically Urijah Faber, might have noticed a new primary sponsor on the former champ when he entered the cage in January to face Raphael Assuncao. Once the poster boy for Pepsi's No Fear Energy, Faber now sports the company's flag ship energy brand, AMP, which is presently the official energy drink of World Extreme Cagefighting as well as an official sponsor of the California Kid. But what you didn't notice was the extra camera crew set up in Faber's locker room, grabbing backstage footage and then filming his walkout for a "live" commercial for the popular energy brand.
AMP was granted unprecedented access by the WEC and its officials to film what was described as a "one and done" reality advertising campaign.
"We're chronicling how people AMP up for events. The anticipation for something you are passionate about," said Ken Strnad, Sr. Marketing Manager of AMP Energy. "With this, it's Urijah getting ready in the locker room. Then the announcement and walk in. The cameras flashing. It's capturing the raw emotion that not only Urijah feels, but the crowd feels as well. We're giving the viewer something they don't normally get to see."
To say there was some pressure to get this spot pulled off would be an understatement. Making the decision to do a reality commercial leaves very little room for error. One glitch, and the entire spot could have been ruined.
"There were no scripts for this spot. If something had gone wrong, we could have come home without an ad. It was very risky. But the reward has been great for the brand," said Strnad.
When asked about the extra cameras in the locker room and any additional pressure that may have added, Faber, the consummate professional, just took it in stride.
"I just kinda go with the flow. The AMP crew was very courteous and aware of my surroundings, so it went off without a hitch. It was actually pretty fun. Having a few extra cameras amongst the others to get an amazing spot like this one is certainly fine by me."
Strnad cites the growth of mixed martial arts as well as the overall dynamic of the fans and athletes as reasons for Pepsi's increased interest in the sport. Beyond their sponsorship of the WEC and Faber, AMP has also signed deals with Team Alpha Male's Joseph Benavidez and Chad Mendes.
Strnad continues, "MMA is an incredible sport that is growing at an incredible clip. We absolutely know that MMA fans are energy drinkers and this is where we want to be."
The end result of Pepsi and AMP's dedication to the sport of MMA is the groundbreaking commercial you see below.
