PURCHASE, N.Y., Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Brisk® Iced Tea continues to invigorate its creative mojo by taking its 2012 national marketing campaign to a galaxy far, far away to join forces with the 3-D theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120104/CG29782)

"At Brisk, we're inspired by creativity and always looking for fresh and authentic ways to work with artists—from emerging talent to seasoned pros, like those at Lucasfilm," says Eric Fuller, Brand Director, Brisk Iced Tea. "Our goal is to leverage iconic characters in a way that engages fans with that Brisk edge they've come to expect. A creative collaboration with Star Wars delivers just that."

"We are excited that Brisk is partnering with us to spread the excitement about Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace on the big screen in spectacular 3-D," says Kayleen Walters, Senior Director, Marketing, Lucasfilm. "The Brisk team has done a great job developing new, innovative ways for people to interact with Star Wars—staying true to classic, fan-favorite characters while giving them a fun twist."

Yoda. Maul. The Ultimate Brawl.
The creative bread and butter for the campaign comes in the form of a 30-second TV spot in which Briskified versions of two iconic Star Wars characters, Darth Maul and Yoda, face off for the first time. It's a bold take on an improbable fight that could only happen in the universe of Brisk, delivered through the next-generation stop-motion animation the brand revitalized last year. Yoda and Darth Maul will join the famous personalities previously tapped by Brisk to deliver its bold messaging. The spot, created by Mekanism, airs on January 15, 2012, and will be featured in movie theaters and online. The promotion will be brought to life at retail with in-store POS, social media integration, grassroots activation, radio and interactive TV.

Brisk Brings Lightsaber Battles to Smartphones
The saga begins today as the Brisk mobile game application, Brisksaber, brings the iconic Star Wars lightsaber battles to smartphones. The new application will feature a progression of content that allows fans to incrementally unlock new characters and objects based on the nationwide redemption of codes found on specially marked packages of one-liter Brisk Iced Tea.

"The Brisksaber app allows us to continue to offer inventive content that truly appeals to our growing Brisk community," says Fuller, who notes that the brand will also support the application with a dedicated 15-second TV spot. "Gaming is a big part of who they are, and we'll reward their loyalty to Brisk and their love of Star Wars by unveiling new content and features for the Brisksaber app throughout our Star Wars partnership."

The game features a blend of 2-D and 3-D elements and invites players to choose their side—The Light Side or The Dark Side—then their mode—Time Trial or Survival—before they battle foes that vary depending on the allegiance they have chosen. Players can opt to share their scores on Facebook and Twitter, and top-scoring players will be shown on a leaderboard on Facebook.com/Brisk. Brisksaber can be downloaded via UncaptheApp.com, Facebook.com/Brisk, or in the iTunes Store and Android Market beginning January 4, 2012.

New Product Packaging and Sizing Go to the Dark Side
Darth Maul, a Sith warrior known for wielding a double-ended lightsaber, takes over Brisk Raspberry Iced Tea 24-oz. cans and one-liter bottles. The limited-time Brisk Raspberry Iced Tea Darth Maul packaging will drive consumers to UncaptheApp.com, where they can download an exclusive mobile game application, Brisksaber.

Brisk Raspberry Iced Tea Darth Maul bottles—along with Iced Tea with Lemon, Sweet Tea, Tea Lemonade, Green Tea Peach, Strawberry Melon, Lemonade, Pink Lemonade and Fruit Punch—will have under-the-cap codes that allow fans to collectively unlock new characters, lightsabers and objects when they play Brisksaber. The Uncap the App promotion and limited-time Darth Maul packaging are available until April 30, 2012.

New multi-serve one-gallon jugs will also be unveiled to offer more value for Brisk drinkers in four flavors: Iced Tea with Raspberry, Tea Lemonade Fusion, White Tea Pink Lemonade Fusion and Strawberry Melon Juice Drink.

For more information about Brisk Iced Tea, fans can visit Facebook.com/Brisk.

Product samples and interviews available upon request.

About Brisk
Brisk® Iced Tea is a product of the Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership, a joint venture between PepsiCo and Unilever. Brisk is available in Lemon, No-Cal Lemon, Strawberry Melon, Tea-Lemonade, Raspberry, Peach, Sweet Tea, Fruit Punch, Lemonade and Sugar-Free Lemonade.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales each. Our main businesses—Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi Cola—also make hundreds of other enjoyable and wholesome foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. With net revenues of approximately $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment, including by conserving energy and water usage, and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support, and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

About Unilever
Unilever works to create a better future every day. We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. Each day, around the world, we serve over 2 billion consumers. In the United States, Canada and the Greater Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico), the portfolio includes brand icons such as Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Blue Band, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Omo, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America—generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2009. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com, www.unilever.ca or www.unilevercaribbean.com.

Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS™ and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd.  All rights reserved.  All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

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