PepsiCo And NBA Announce Landmark Marketing Partnership; PepsiCo Partner Tingyi's Master Kong Becomes League Beverage Partner In China

NEW YORK, April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo and the National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced a new multiyear marketing partnership, making the food and beverage company an official marketing partner of the NBA, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA Development League (NBA D-League), and USA Basketball beginning next season. 

As part of this expansive food and beverage partnership with the league, PepsiCo will leverage its Mountain Dew, Aquafina, Brisk, Doritos, and Ruffles brands to engage NBA fans through PepsiCo's world-class sports marketing and high-profile activation.  The partnership between the NBA and PepsiCo builds upon the league's relationship with Gatorade, the NBA's longest-standing partner.

"Uniting the passionate fans of the NBA with the power of PepsiCo's food and beverage brands is a slam dunk for the league and for our company," said PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi.  "The NBA has established itself as one of the most exciting and innovative sports leagues in the world.  We look forward to working together to redefine the meaning of sports marketing partnership by taking the fan experience to new heights."

Mountain Dew will serve as the lead brand of this partnership in North America and will introduce several new fan and community activities, highlighted by a significant commitment to expanding the NBA's 3-on-3 basketball program.  NBA 3X is a growing league initiative that brings the game of basketball to life in a fast-paced and engaging format, exemplifying the ethos of the Mountain Dew brand.  In addition, PepsiCo's water brand, Aquafina, will support programs around the NBA's youth, health, and wellness initiatives. 

"We're honored to partner with PepsiCo -- a company with a terrific global vision and a reputation for engaging with premium sports and entertainment programming," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.  "For the NBA, a comprehensive food and beverage company like PepsiCo offers endless opportunities for collaboration.  We can't wait to get started."

In China, PepsiCo partner Tingyi -- the country's largest domestic soft drink manufacturer -- will position its Master Kong brand as the lead beverage of the partnership.  The NBA is the most popular sports league in China and, with 300 million participants, basketball is the nation's number one team sport.

"China is having a love affair with the NBA," said Tingyi Holding Corp. CEO James Wei.  "The opportunities the NBA partnership offers us with Chinese fans and consumers are limitless.  Every day, the NBA is making enormous strides in China, particularly among young adults.  We look forward to working with PepsiCo and the NBA on inspiring fans in China and growing the league and our business as a result of this exciting partnership."

PepsiCo and Tingyi will leverage their portfolio of brands to create memorable moments for fans around the world during marquee events, including NBA All-Star, NBA Playoffs, The Finals, NBA Draft presented by State Farm, WNBA All-Star, NBA D-League All-Star presented by Kumho Tire, and the USA Basketball Global Exhibition Tour.  

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2014, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

About Tingyi Holding Corp.
Tingyi Holding Corp. is China's leading food and beverage company that specializes in the production and distribution of instant noodles, beverages and instant food in the PRC. Tingyi started its instant noodle segment in 1992 under the brand of Master Kong, and expanded into the bakery segment and beverages in 1996. The philosophy of Tingyi is to provide consumers with safe, tasty quality products with value for money. With sophisticated production processes, outstanding operation, innovative products and CSR campaigns, Tingyi is widely respected in China's consumer industry. Continuous attention to operations at the community level in the past 20 years has made "Master Kong" one of the most recognized brands. The Company has also made big contributions to rural, agricultural and farmers' development. For six consecutive years from 2008 to 2013, Tingyi was named one of the 50 best listed companies in Asia by Forbes for its solid financial track record and excellent management and entrepreneurial skills. The company is one of the constituents of Hong Kong Hang Seng Indexes (HSCI). For more information, please visit www.masterkong.com.cn.

About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women's National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with offices in 13 markets worldwide, games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2014-15 season featured a record 101 international players from 37 countries and territories.  NBA Digital's assets include NBA TV, which is available in 60 million U.S. homes, and NBA.com, which recorded 26.9 billion page views during the 2013-14 season, with more than half of all visitors originating from outside of North America.  The NBA is the No. 1 professional sports league on social media, with more than 800 million likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league and its teams and players have donated more than $242 million to charity, completed more than 3 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 915 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.

Contacts:
Kim Mandara, NBA, 212.407.8158 or [email protected]
Andrea Foote, PepsiCo, 914.473.3284 or [email protected]

SOURCE PepsiCo

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