Plenty of brands slap a logo on a championship. Pepsi earned its spot on the Knicks’ 2026 title, and it’s a sharp lesson in sports marketing.
The campaign didn’t start when the trophy went up. It started months earlier, during the playoffs.
Sports marketing that shows up early
While the Knicks were still playing for the title, PepsiCo ran Knicks Fans Deserve Pepsi, a collector-can scavenger hunt across the five boroughs. It also ran WE OUTSIDE, a real-time campaign that turned photos of fans from Games 3 and 4 into billboards across New York.
By the time the Knicks won, Pepsi was already part of the story.
The championship cans
Now comes Champions Deserve Pepsi. Limited-edition 16-ounce Pepsi x Knicks championship cans and 20-ounce Pepsi and Pepsi Zero Sugar bottles are hitting shelves at participating retailers, only in the Tri-State area.
Each one carries a QR code for a sweepstakes that sends 94 fans to The Garden. That’s one for every point in the title-clinching 94-90 Game 5 win. Knicks legend John Starks even surprised fans in the locker room with an early look at the cans.
The PR lesson: make the fans the hero
Every piece of this campaign puts fans at the center. Their photos became billboards. Their city became a scavenger hunt. Their final score became the prize count.
The campaign stays local, too. These cans aren’t sold nationally, and that scarcity makes them feel like they belong to New York.
Finally, every element ties to a real moment. A specific game. A specific score. A specific borough. That’s what separates sports marketing that feels earned from sports marketing that feels bought.
How local brands can run this playbook
You don’t need a national beverage budget. Restaurants, hotels and destinations can do the same thing with a local team, a festival or a community milestone. In Arizona, that could be a home opener, spring training or a hometown team’s big season.
The key is timing. Show up early, before the win. Then stay consistent through the whole run.
Proof Publicity builds local partnerships and activations for restaurant, hotel and hospitality brands across Arizona. For more on smart partnerships, read our take on the Disney x NFL collection.
