Pepsi Announces Super Bowl Activations In New Orleans

PURCHASE, N.Y., Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepsi, who will present the Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show featuring Grammy award winner Beyonce, today announced additional activations taking place in New Orleans during the week of The Big Game.

As the "Official Soft Drink of the NFL," Pepsi will be highly visible at a number of Super Bowl XLVII activities from January 30 – February 3 in New Orleans including:

• The Pepsi Footprint at The NFL Experience Driven by GMC
• PepsiCo Pre-Super Bowl Party
• Fan selected Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Year Award at "2^nd Annual NFL Honors"
• "Pepsi 5^th Quarter in the French Quarter" Post-Game Party

Pepsi will once again have a footprint at the NFL Experience Driven by GMC taking place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (Halls A-E) from January 30 – February 3. Inspired by the spirit of New Orleans, the space will include Mardi Gras-style decorations with music, entertainment and product sampling. Fans can practice their quarterback skills with a "Throw Like Drew (Brees)" football toss, with a donation being made to charity based on total passing yards. The donation, totaling $25,000, will benefit two local New Orleans charities - Drew Brees' "The Brees Dream Foundation," which will use the funds to support its Hurricane Sandy Relief efforts; and The Trombone Shorty Academy, a music education program for underserved New Orleans high school students at Tulane University, that will use the donation to purchase new instruments for the students that they would otherwise not be able to afford.

Pepsi will also be giving fans a chance to create their own Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show. Consumers will be allowed to select their song choice, stage, production elements, and dancers and take the stage like they are performing in front of millions watching the game. Afterwards they'll be able to share with family and friends and enter for a chance to win Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show field passes.

Pepsi will kick-off Super Bowl weekend with the annual PepsiCo Pre-Super Bowl party, taking place on Friday, February 1 at the Masquerade Night Club at Harrah's New Orleans, featuring a performance by Grammy Award winning rock band Train.

On Saturday, February 2, Pepsi MAX will award the fan-selected Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Year Award during the "2^nd Annual NFL Honors" awards show hosted by Alec Baldwin, airing at 9 PM EST on CBS. The nominees are Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins; Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts; Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks; Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins. Pepsi MAX is also the presenting sponsor of the AP Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards.

The party will continue even after the last whistle blows at Super Bowl XLVII with the "Pepsi 5th Quarter in the French Quarter" Post-Game Party, a new Super Bowl tradition started by Pepsi.    Pepsi has invited 2013 Grammy Award nominees Hunter Hayes (Best New Artist) and The Roots (Best Rap Album) to perform, with a special guest appearance by New Orleans icon and jazz superstar Trombone Shorty.  Through a partnership with Vevo, fans at home can view the performances live on www.pepsi.com starting at 11PM EST and watch videos of the performances on Pepsi sponsored Vevo channels following the event.  This new event continues to blend sports and entertainment as Pepsi also returns to the GRAMMY®s as the "Official Beverage" of the award show.  Fans can also register with Pepsi at points.pepsi.com to receive points for engaging with Pepsi and other consumers using #pepsihalftime and #pepsi5Q hashtags. The points are redeemable towards prizes including a limited number of Beyonce Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime t-shirts and a chance to win tickets to next year's Pepsi Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime show and more.

All of the on-site activations in New Orleans are an extension of Pepsi's "Live for Now" platform, which looks to capture the excitement of the moment and deliver experiences and content that is current in pop culture. PepsiCo's relationship with the NFL is among the company's longest running and most successful sports sponsorship. PepsiCo leverages its relationship with the NFL to elevate the fan experience and connect with consumers throughout the season.  The Super Bowl represents a pivotal moment in PepsiCo's consumer engagement strategy for brands including Pepsi, Doritos, Quaker, and Gatorade.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola - make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. 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 by conserving energy and water 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.

SOURCE PepsiCo