NEW YORK (AP) - Pepsi has scored the Super Bowl halftime show.
The soda giant says it struck a multiyear deal with
the National Football League to sponsor the big game's musical
performance. Financial terms and the exact duration of the deal were not
disclosed.
The Purchase, N.Y.-based company says it also
bought 60 seconds of ad time during the big game, which has seen record
ratings for the past three years.
Pepsi last sponsored the show in 2007, when the rock musician Prince performed. Bridgestone Tires sponsored the show after that.
PepsiCo Inc.'s reunion with the nation's biggest
sporting event comes at a time when the company is working to put some
fizz back in sales of its flagship soda. Earlier this year, Pepsi
announced its "Live For Now" global marketing campaign, which is
intended to rekindle the company's long ties with pop culture and music.
Although PepsiCo has a broad and diverse portfolio
of brands - including Frito-Lay, Gatorade and Quaker Oats - its namesake
cola remains by far its single biggest moneymaker.
So far this year, the marketing push for Pepsi has
included a TV ad with singer Nicki Minaj, a global marketing campaign
featuring 1 billion cans of Pepsi with a silhouette of the late pop star
Michael Jackson and a partnership with Twitter to stream live concerts.
The latest move is nevertheless the most
high-profile; an estimated 111.3 million people watched in February as
the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots, 21-17, in a thrilling
rematch of the contest four years earlier, according to The Nielsen Co.
That made the game the most-watched television show in U.S. history for
the third straight year.
Even better for PepsiCo, last year's halftime show
with Madonna, Cee Lo Green, Minaj and M.I.A. was seen by an estimated
114 million people - a higher average than the game itself.
Adam Harter, Pepsi's vice president of consumer
engagement, said that the NFL is letting Pepsi have more input than past
sponsors have had - including on stage design and which musicians
perform during the show.
He declined to give details, but said Pepsi will
also partner with the league in how the halftime show can be viewed
online. Pepsi will also use the sponsorship for promotions on the soda
cans and bottles its sells in stores.
"I think you'll see more activation around sports and music together as the year unfolds," Harter said.
On Monday, PepsiCo also announced a multiyear deal
with the Pittsburgh Steelers to provide its drinks and Frito-Lay snacks
at Heinz Field. The company said the conversion to Pepsi from The
Coca-Cola Co. will be complete in time for the start of the coming
season.
Coca-Cola has big marketing plans this year as
well, with its sponsorship of the London Olympics this summer. The
Atlanta company has sponsored the games since 1928, making it the
longest continuous sponsor.
