A hybrid project
Beyoncé the businesswoman: Pop star goes big with a $50 million Pepsiendorsement
Beyoncé has signed a multi-year, $50 million deal with Pepsi.Hand-out Photo/CNW Group
As part of the deal, her face will appear on a line of limited-edition Pepsicans, set to debut in Europe in March 2013.TheMalaika.com
H-Town isn't the only thing that Beyoncé is repping these days.
The Houston-raised pop superstar has signed on with Pepsi for a multi-year, $50 million advertising deal, one that the iconic soda company calls one of the "most innovative global partnerships ever seen — or heard — between a brand and a musician."
As The New York Times reports, the details on the hybrid project are still unclear but already prove to be a far cry from your average print-and-television spot contract.
As part of the deal, Pepsi will campaign for the pop star's new album, due out in 2013, and support creative projects of her choice (which could include such things as live events, music videos and photo shoots that may or may not have any connection to Pepsi products). Not unlike the new HBO documentary about her that she's directing and executive producing, it looks like this deal will also preserve Beyoncé's control over her image.
It's meant to look less like a celebrity endorsement, and be more akin to an artist-patron relationship.
"Pepsi embraces creativity and understands that artists evolve," Beyoncé said in a statement. "As a businesswoman, this allows me to work with a lifestyle brand with no compromise and without sacrificing my creativity."
For her part, Bey's mug will appear on a limited-edition run of soda cans and she will star in a global TV ad campaign — it's meant to look less like a celebrity endorsement, and be more akin to an artist-patron relationship.
Forbes notes that Beyoncé might have had some guidance from her husband, Jay-Z, who struck a similar deal with Anheuser Busch for its Bud Select in 2006. In that partnership, the rapper would "participate in Budweiser Select planning sessions to provide his unique spin, thoughts and insights on various brand products."
The collaboration comes to life during the Super Bowl halftime on Feb. 3 during a performance by Beyoncé — also sponsored by Pepsi. Limited edition cans are expected to debut in Europe in March 2013.
