Michael Jackson, Pepsi Team Up in New Advertising Campaign
PepsiCo Inc. and the estate for late singer Michael Jackson have signed a deal to team up in a campaign that is looking to revive the PepsiCo brand and promote the re-release of Jackson's "Bad" album.
The advertising plans were unveiled on Thursday and will see Jackson appear on one billion of the company's soft drink cans.
The campaign is set to begin on the 25th anniversary of the release of the King of Pop's 1987 album "Bad," which was the first album in the U.S. to generate five number one singles and was the best selling album worldwide in 1987 and 1988.
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Pepsi's campaign featuring Michael Jackson is part of the brand's new "Live for Now" campaign and will first roll out in China and the United States before expanding its reach to a dozen countries by fall 2012. Advertising will vary from country to country.
"We're here to market the re-release of the 'Bad' album and Pepsi is the most effective place to do it," a spokesperson for the Jackson estate told TMZ.com
Pepsi and Jackson have worked together on numerous occasions and the two first partnered in 1983.
In 1984, the singer filmed a commercial for the brand at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but while filming a simulated concert Jackson's hair caught on fire and he suffered second-degree burns to his scalp. Pepsi and Jackson settled a lawsuit out of court and Jackson donated the money to a medical center in Culver City, Calif. Despite the public accident, Jackson worked with the brand two more times before his accidental death.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at his rented home in Los Angeles. His death triggered a global outpour of grief from fans, friends, and fellow entertainers who had come to love Jackson throughout the years.
Jackson has been recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records.
