Bracketmania Begins... SoBe Lifewater(TM) Zero Calorie Issues the Ultimate Celebrity Brackets Challenge: Beat 'Em and You Just Might Meet 'Em

PURCHASE, N.Y., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether you’re a diehard fan or a new-to-the-game rookie, SoBe Lifewater™ Zero Calorie is giving college hoops fans irresistible reasons to engage this March:

• Just looking for bragging rights?  Beat one of these celebrities’ bracket picks and you could win the chance to meet them: E!’s “Kendra” star Kendra Wilkinson; former NBA player and TNT analyst Kenny Smith; 2010 Sports Illustrated cover model Brooklyn Decker and former NFL great and Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Rice.
• Are you a seasoned pro?  Pick a perfect bracket (all 63 games, excluding the play-in game) and you have a chance to win $9 Million.*
• Think there is zero chance for a perfect bracket? Top scorers in each round have the chance to win – there’s up to $1 Million more in prize money.

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Dubbed the “SoBe Lifewater™ Zero Inhibitions Bracket Challenge,” this promotion underscores SoBe® as the champion of zero calorie beverages. Known for its uniquely delicious flavor blends, SoBe Lifewater’s seven Zero Calorie flavors are also infused with vitamins, antioxidants, and herbal ingredients for true healthy refreshment. The revolutionary zero calorie, all-natural sweetener, PureVia, offers a full-flavor taste without the calories, and without artificial sweeteners! SoBe products are available for purchase at stores nationwide.

"SoBe Lifewater has zero calories and zero inhibitions.  We wanted a bold way to let the world know that SoBe knows Zero," said Angelique Krembs, SoBe® marketing director. "That is, SoBe knows delicious naturally sweetened taste with zero calories.  For hoops fans, it also means SoBe offers the opportunity to take home a whole lot of zeroes.  And we topped it all with the chance to rub elbows with some bold celebs...can you say zero inhibitions?  It all adds up to Zero, and in this case, it’s huge!”

To play, fans go to SoBe.Fanhouse.com to pick their bracket, choose the celebrity they want to play against and enter for a chance to win.  

“I’m pretty confident about my ability to pick a good bracket.  I can’t wait to see if there’s anybody out there with the knowledge – or luck – to beat me,” said Wilkinson.  “I’m throwing down the challenge to hoops fans everywhere – you better bring your game if you want to beat me and have the chance to meet me.”  

Fans, 18 and older, can enter the SoBe Lifewater™ Zero Inhibitions Brackets Challenge, hosted by AOL Fanhouse at SoBe.Fanhouse.com starting March 14, 2010 through March 18, 2010 at 11:29:59 a.m. ET.   You can follow your bracket, the celebrity bracket, even the bracket of your friends from your mobile device. You can even post your bracket and talk trash on Facebook from the palm of your hand.

*  Zero Imperfections Perfect Bracket Grand Prize of $9 million paid out as a 40 year annuity or adjusted lump sum.

For more information, go to SoBe.com.

SoBe Lifewater™ Zero Inhibitions Bracket Challenge:  NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. SoBe Lifewater™ Zero Inhibitions Bracket Challenge Sweepstakes is sponsored by AOL Inc. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states, and D.C., 18 years or older. Limit 5 million entries. Begins 10:00 p.m. ET on 3/14/10 and ends 11:30 a.m. ET on 3/18/10 or when five (5) million entries are received, whichever occurs first. For official rules, visit SoBe.Fanhouse.com.

About SoBe

SoBe is a product of Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages (PCNAB). PCNAB is a division of PepsiCo, which offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. In recognition of its continued sustainability efforts, PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) in 2009. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo