Pepsi and Michael Jackson's Estate Strike a Deal

Over a quarter century ago, Michael Jackson agreed to become the voice of the Pepsi brand. Now, three years after the singer’s death, PepsiCo Inc. is acting on an agreement with Jackson’s estate to produce Pepsi cans with Jackson’s silhouette printed on the side as part of its new global marketing campaign—“Live For Now.”

While both parties are remaining silent about the financial terms of the deal, PepsiCo has increased its overall marketing budget by as much as $600 million this year (a 20% increase). Using Jackson’s silhouette on the soda cans will be the first branding deal since Jackson died, but a spokeswoman for the singer’s estate said that more marketing agreements are planned. Expect to see the new canS on store shelves later this month.

See Mike Esterl and Suzanne Vranica, Pepsi Brings Back the King of Pop, The Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.