This campaign is absolutely spectacular on every level because in the end it isn’t even advertising, it’s just great basketball storytelling disguised as advertising. As Pepsi renews Uncle Drew for a fourth chapter, it keeps the legend alive and leaves people wanting more.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2588650-kyrie-irving-as-uncle-drew-is-back-and-this-time-with-ray-allen-and-baron-davis

Kyrie Irving is Drew • This campaign appeals to all lovers of basketball and

entertainment alike as Kyrie Irving’s creation is a staple of how far advertising has become.

• All Pepsi did was put their logo on the concept and boom, Uncle Drew is alive on our screens. With the subtle product placement, it allows the audience to enjoy Drew’s story as a short film without having to deal with the pushing of regular ads.

• Especially with a brand so popular as Pepsi, it just gets the brand out there in a lucrative way and allows recognized icons like Irving to express their talents for the world to see.

The beauty of the Uncle Drew campaign, aside from the comedy and stellar basketball star cameos, is the fact that it’s still pushing the Pepsi brand without a single utterance of Pepsi’s name. Why don’t more popular brand names advertise in this way if it is more appealing to audiences. Is it because of costs, lack of original ideas, or is something like Uncle Drew just a diamond in the rough?