On April 2, 1996, a unique event took place at Gatwick Airport. Supermodels Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, and tennis star Andre Agassi were not there to catch a flight but to witness the unveiling of a Concorde painted in a striking electric blue with the Pepsi logo. This was part of a major marketing campaign by Pepsi in the 1990s, and it turned out to be more than just a simple paint job—it became a significant technical challenge for the supersonic airliner.
In the mid-90s, Pepsi decided to revamp its brand image. They wanted to reduce the red on their cans to differentiate themselves from Coca-Cola, their main competitor. This led to the creation of ‘Project Blue,’ a campaign to promote their new blue can design. As part of this campaign, Pepsi partnered with Air France to repaint one of the 20 existing Concordes. They chose the Sierra Delta, one of the last Concordes built in 1978, known for its advanced construction techniques and lighter weight due to titanium rivets. Notably, Sierra Delta holds the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe, completing the journey in 31 hours, 27 minutes, and 49 seconds, including six fuel stops.
Pepsi’s ambitious plan involved a secretive repainting process at an Air France facility in Paris. Over 200 liters of paint and countless hours of labor were required to transform the Concorde into a flying billboard. Once completed, the aircraft was wrapped in brown paper to maintain secrecy. It was then flown across the English Channel under the cover of night to Gatwick Airport, where it was hidden in a hangar until the big reveal. Journalists from around the world were invited to witness the unveiling, expecting a new advertisement featuring Crawford, Schiffer, and Agassi.
The event was a quintessential 90s spectacle, complete with a futuristic light show and supermodels arriving on motorbikes. After the ad was introduced, the blue Concorde emerged from the darkness, surrounded by smoke and strobe lights. This extravagant event cost Pepsi approximately $5 million, making it the most expensive advertisement at the time. But the Concorde stunt was just one part of the Project Blue campaign. A month later, Pepsi became the first company to film a commercial in space, featuring a large replica of their new can during a spacewalk on the Mir space station. This ad also cost $5 million but was never aired due to a subsequent design change.
After its debut, the blue Concorde embarked on a promotional tour, visiting 10 cities across Europe and the Middle East. However, there was a significant limitation: the plane’s speed had to be reduced. Normally, Concorde cruised at Mach 2.04, but at this speed, the friction with the air generated intense heat. Supersonic flight compresses air, creating high pressure and heat, especially at the nose, which could reach 127 degrees Fahrenheit, while the fuselage and wings could exceed 90 degrees. This heat caused the aircraft to expand visibly by about 30 mm, a phenomenon noticeable in the cockpit as a gap between the flight engineer’s console and the bulkhead.
To manage this heat, Concorde was originally painted with a special reflective white paint to radiate heat effectively. The jet fuel also absorbed some of the surface heat, maintaining a nominal temperature. However, the new dark blue paint absorbed more heat, limiting the Concorde’s ability to fly at its usual speed. Pilots were instructed to exceed Mach 2 for no more than 20 minutes, resulting in a cruising speed of Mach 1.7 for most of the flight.
The Pepsi-liveried Concorde flew for just two weeks before returning to its standard Air France colors. During this time, it completed 14 supersonic flights and visited 10 cities. The cost of repainting the aircraft was around $1 million, and Pepsi’s overall budget for Project Blue exceeded half a billion dollars. Despite these efforts, by the end of 1996, Coca-Cola was still leading in profits, making nearly 50% more than Pepsi. Even with the supersonic speed of Concorde, Pepsi couldn’t catch up to its rival. By the time Concorde was retired in 2003, it had become a symbol of luxury travel and the fastest way for business travelers to cross the globe.
Investigate the principles of supersonic flight and the engineering challenges associated with it. Prepare a presentation that explains how Concorde managed these challenges, particularly focusing on the impact of heat and the role of paint in thermal management. Share your findings with the class to deepen your understanding of aerodynamics and materials science.
Conduct a detailed case study analysis of Pepsi’s Project Blue. Evaluate the marketing strategy, the technical challenges faced, and the overall impact on Pepsi’s brand image. Discuss in groups how the campaign could have been improved, considering both marketing and technical aspects.
Participate in a debate on the priorities of marketing versus engineering in high-profile projects like the Pepsi Concorde. Consider the balance between brand visibility and technical feasibility. Prepare arguments for both sides and engage in a structured debate to explore the complexities of such projects.
Work in teams to design a modern marketing campaign for a hypothetical new supersonic aircraft. Consider current technological advancements and environmental concerns. Present your campaign, including visuals and a strategic plan, to the class, highlighting how it addresses both marketing goals and technical constraints.
Attend a workshop that delves into the science of paint and its role in heat management for aircraft. Experiment with different materials and colors to observe their thermal properties. Discuss how these findings apply to the challenges faced by the Concorde and other high-speed aircraft.
On April 2, 1996, global superstars Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, and Andre Agassi stood on the runway at Gatwick Airport, waiting for a plane. However, they weren’t there to fly to an exotic destination; the event was the plane itself—a freshly painted, electric blue Concorde emblazoned with the Pepsi logo. Today, we’re going to explore one of the biggest marketing stunts of the 90s and see how something as simple as a paint job created a significant technical issue for this supersonic airliner.
During the mid-90s, Pepsi decided it was time to change their design. They felt there was too much red on their cans, which clashed with their rival, Coca-Cola. So, they rebranded to a mostly blue can and needed a major campaign to announce this change to the world. Thus began ‘Project Blue.’ They struck a deal with Air France, allowing them to repaint one of the 20 Concordes in existence at the time. They chose one of the last Concordes made, Sierra Delta, which was built in 1978 and benefited from new construction techniques, including the use of titanium rivets, making it much lighter than other Concordes. To this day, Sierra Delta holds the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe, taking 31 hours, 27 minutes, and 49 seconds, including six stops for fuel.
With the most capable Concorde at their disposal, Pepsi set a date for their big event and got to work. The new paint job was carried out in secrecy at an Air France facility in Paris, requiring over 200 liters of paint and thousands of man-hours to complete. Once the last drop was dry, they quickly wrapped the aircraft in brown paper to keep the stunt a secret. Since the big event was in London, they sped across the English Channel during the night, remaining undercover before being escorted straight to a hangar at Gatwick Airport. Journalists from around the world had been invited to the hangar, being told they would see a new ad featuring Crawford, Schiffer, and Agassi.
What followed was a quintessentially 90s event, complete with a futuristic light show and supermodels arriving on motorbikes. After the main ad was introduced, the blue Concorde was wheeled into the dark hangar through a fog of smoke machines and strobe lights. This event cost Pepsi around $5 million to produce, making it the most expensive ad ever made at the time. However, this wasn’t the only publicity stunt in the Project Blue campaign. Just a month after the Concorde unveiling, Pepsi became the first-ever company to shoot a commercial in space. Cosmonauts onboard the Mir space station took a large replica of the new Pepsi can on a spacewalk. This ad cost Pepsi another $5 million to produce, but once the ad was finished, Pepsi had changed the design of the can, and the ad was never aired.
After Concorde’s new look was unveiled, Pepsi took the plane on a promotional tour, jetting off to 10 different cities across Europe and the Middle East. However, there was one major condition: they had to reduce the speed. The typical cruising speed for a Concorde was Mach 2.04, but flying at this speed generated a significant amount of heat due to the friction of the air passing over the aircraft’s surface. With supersonic aircraft, not all the air can move out of the way fast enough, compressing the air and creating high pressure in front of the nose, which heats up the plane. At full speed, the nose would get as hot as 127 degrees Fahrenheit, with the fuselage and wings exceeding 90 degrees. This would cause the aircraft to visibly expand by around 30 mm. Inside the cockpit, this expansion was noticeable, creating a gap between the flight engineer’s console and the bulkhead.
This expansion is a common issue in all supersonic planes. The fastest jet ever created, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, was built with many small parts that could each expand, often causing fuel leaks while sitting on the runway. Concorde was designed to limit surface heat as much as possible, using a special white paint that was much more reflective than typical aircraft paint, allowing it to radiate more heat. The jet fuel also played a key role in absorbing a lot of the surface heat, helping to keep the aircraft at a nominal temperature. Even with all this protection, surfaces inside the cabin became warm to the touch during a normal flight. Consequently, with the new dark blue color scheme, the pilots were instructed that they could only exceed Mach 2 for a maximum of 20 minutes. Instead, they flew at a cruising speed of Mach 1.7 for most of the flight, where heating was less of an issue.
Sierra Delta flew with the Pepsi livery for two weeks before returning to its normal service under the traditional Air France design. During its short stint as a flying billboard, it visited 10 cities and completed 14 supersonic flights. The process of converting the aircraft into Pepsi colors likely cost the company around $1 million, and it’s estimated that Pepsi’s budget for the entire Project Blue campaign exceeded half a billion dollars. By the end of 1996, Coca-Cola was making almost 50% more profit than Pepsi. Even going supersonic didn’t make them fast enough to catch the world’s most popular cola. By the time Concorde was retired in 2003, it had become a glamorous way for the wealthy to travel and the quickest way for business people to reach their meetings on the other side of the world.
Marketing – The process of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service. – The marketing team developed a new strategy to increase the airline’s ticket sales during the holiday season.
Aviation – The design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft. – Students in the aviation program studied the latest technologies in aircraft design to improve fuel efficiency.
Concorde – A turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner that was operated until 2003. – The Concorde was known for its speed, cutting transatlantic flight times in half, making it a marvel in aviation history.
Pepsi – A global beverage brand known for its cola products, often involved in high-profile marketing campaigns. – Pepsi launched a new marketing campaign featuring popular supermodels to promote its brand during the summer season.
Project Blue – A hypothetical or conceptual project name often used in marketing or aviation to denote innovation or a new initiative. – The university’s business students created a marketing plan for Project Blue, aiming to revolutionize in-flight entertainment.
Air France – A major French airline known for its extensive global network and premium services. – Air France collaborated with top chefs to enhance their in-flight dining experience as part of their marketing strategy.
Supermodels – Highly successful and internationally recognized fashion models often used in advertising campaigns. – The airline’s promotional video featured supermodels to attract a younger audience to their new flight routes.
Promotional – Relating to the publicizing of a product, organization, or venture to increase sales or public awareness. – The promotional campaign for the new aircraft included virtual reality tours to engage potential customers.
Speed – The rate at which someone or something moves or operates, often a key selling point in aviation. – The marketing materials highlighted the aircraft’s speed, emphasizing its ability to reduce travel time significantly.
Advertisement – A notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event. – The advertisement for the new airline route featured breathtaking aerial views to capture the audience’s attention.
