Pepsi has announced Beyoncé as its global brand ambassador, following the singer’s relationship with the brand as a spokeswoman for over a decade. Her face will appear on the soda can in what will prove to be one of the most lucrative endorsement deals in history. The pop star will work with the pop giant on a host of creative projects, including social media and live events – and even an upcoming world tour.
She’s to star in a Live for Now global TV ad, set to air early 2013 and is expected to perform at the Super Bowl half time show on February 3, 2013, which is sponsored by Pepsi.
The superstar singer has inked a deal with the soft drink giant to become its new “brand ambassador” – a deal reportedly worth $50 million.
The 31-year-old global phenomenon will become the face of Pepsi, appearing on soda cans and bottles and cardboard cutouts in stores, PepsiCo said Monday. She will also power an advertising campaign timed to coincide with the release of her new album next year.
The monster deal is the latest Madison Avenue merger of consumer brands and pop artists.
“(Companies are looking) for new and novel ways to reach today’s Pepsi Generation,” said NYU professor Sam Craig, referring to the successful Pepsi Generation ad campaign of the early 1960s.
“Letting the talent be part of the process and letting her connect with the audience achieves that and moves beyond her simply being a puppet,” added Craig, director of the Entertainment, Media and Technology Program at NYU’s Stern School of Business.
Pepsi also says to look for “the two brands to co-create cool online content.”
Planned for early 2013: Pepsi cans with Beyonce on them, and a new Live For Now TV commercial. It will be Beyonce’s fifth for the soft drink since 2002.
The New York Times notes that Beyonce may have gotten the big-deal idea from her hubby, Jay-Z, who partnered with Microsoft in 2010 to promote his book, Decoded.
The Times says the new Beyonce-Pepsi partnership is estimated to be a $50 million deal, with the bulk of it for media placements and promotions around the world, and the remainder split between Beyoncé’s fee and what Pepsi calls a creative content development fund.
As Billboard detailed in an April 30 cover story, Pepsi and its lifelong competitor Coca-Cola are the two most powerful brands in music based on their sponsorship efforts around musicians, tours and TV programs like The X Factor and American Idol. Pepsi and Coke spent $330 million and $240 million, respectively, on programs involving entertainment and sports, which Pepsi has been fusing more in recent months with campaigns starring One Direction and The New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees as well as an NFL Anthems campaign featuring Kelly Clarkson, Lenny Kravitz, Kid Rock, Aerosmith and Ice Cube.
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