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Pepsi Refresh Project, which will annually offer at least $20 million to local causes proposed by the public, has been launched by Pepsi-Cola.

The campaign, which was launched by Hollywood actors Kevin Bacon and Demi Moore on Monday, shifts Pepsi-Cola's focus on traditional advertising towards cause-related and online marketing.

It will draw on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to promote the initiative.

The drinks company will reduce much of its television advertising spend, and for the first time in 23 years abandoned its prime slots during America's Super Bowl which can cost as much as $3 million for 30 seconds.

The Super Bowl is America's prime advertising event, and a recent survey by agency Venables Bell & Partners found that 66 per cent of viewers remember their favourite advert from last year but only 39 per cent recall which team won.

Members of the public submit ideas for Pepsi Refresh grants every month to refresheverything.com, where they can also vote on ideas submitted the previous month.

Pepsi Cola will fund projects that make a difference in health, arts and culture, food and shelter, education, local neighbourhoods and to the planet.

The project's launch follows the third Pepsi Optimism Project, which found that 94 per cent of Americans believe optimism is important in creating new ideas.

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