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NEW YORK and PURCHASE, N.Y. — The Madison Square Garden Company and PepsiCo today held a special press event to announce a new, multifaceted partnership, making the beverage and food company one of MSG’s official signature marketing partners, beginning Sept. 1, 2018.
Britney Spears
PepsiCo will become the exclusive non-alcoholic beverage and salty snack partner across various MSG properties, including New York’s Madison Square Garden, the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and the Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, Calif.; The Chicago Theatre; and select TAO Group entertainment dining and nightlife venues.
PepsiCo also will become an official partner of MSG’s legendary sports franchises the New York Knicks (NBA), New York Rangers (NHL) and Westchester Knicks; the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes; and Counter Logic Gaming, one of the leading North American esports organizations.
“We are pleased to welcome PepsiCo to The Madison Square Garden Company,” said James Dolan, executive chairman and chief executive officer, The Madison Square Garden Company. “Both MSG and PepsiCo have built a collection of world-renowned brands, and have a passion for bringing people together through unforgettable live experiences. We are confident that this partnership will benefit our customers, as well as both our businesses.”
“We’re honored to join the MSG family and partner with this truly extraordinary organization,” said Indra Nooyi, chairman and chief executive officer, PepsiCo. “This historic partnership brings two iconic New York companies together and builds on PepsiCo’s strong presence in New York City and beyond. We look forward to collaborating throughout all MSG properties to bring consumers once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and to redefining fan experiences across music, sports, entertainment and gaming.”
For the first time, Pepsi also will become the non-alcoholic beverage sponsor of the annual iHeartRadio Z100 Jingle Ball at The Garden in New York City at the end of the year. The full iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour presented by Capital One lineup will be announced at a later date. iHeartRadio, MSG and PepsiCo today also revealed chart-topping singer-songwriter and Pepsi Sound Drop artist Bebe Rexha as the first announced performer. Bebe performed her hit singles “Meant to Be” and “I’m a Mess,” and a one-of-a-kind version of “Empire State of Mind,” at today’s event celebrating MSG and PepsiCo’s historic partnership.
The partnership will give PepsiCo and its brands a broad presence and affiliation with MSG’s marquee assets. PepsiCo’s exclusive marketing rights to MSG properties will include mobile, TV and digital assets, in-venue signage, as well as the right to create retail promotional opportunities at external points of sale. The partnership’s lead brands, Pepsi and Mtn Dew, will create high-profile consumer activations and once-in-a-lifetime sports, music and entertainment experiences for fans, including unique integrations with the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers and the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes. In addition, PepsiCo will have a strong presence on MSG Networks across live game coverage of the Knicks and the Rangers, as well as other programming and content.
All of MSG’s venues will feature PepsiCo’s vast portfolio of popular food and beverage options, including Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Diet Pepsi, Mtn Dew, Mtn Dew Kickstart, Gatorade, Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Smartfood, Aquafina, bubly, LIFEWTR, Lipton and Pure Leaf iced teas, Naked Juice, KeVita, SunChips and much more. The Madison Square Garden Arena will showcase many of PepsiCo’s newest product innovations, including culinary inspired offerings featuring Frito-Lay products.
In addition, the eighth floor concourse of Madison Square Garden will become the Pepsi Concourse, complete with the Pepsi Fan Deck, a new notable public gathering space where fans can congregate during their favorite events.
Diet Pepsi also will sponsor iHeartRadio’s annual “flipping the switch to holiday music” on New York’s 106.7 Lite FM, along with the Radio City Rockettes. Pepsi musical artists also will maximize the visibility and impact of this comprehensive partnership. Monday and tonight, Radio City Music Hall has welcomed Britney Spears as part of her national tour sponsored by Pepsi, and on Sept. 8, Dierks Bentley, featured in a recent national TV advertisement for Pepsi, will headline Madison Square Garden – the first marquee performance that will take place under this new partnership.
Today’s press event was held in Chase Square at Madison Square Garden and included: The Madison Square Garden Company executive chairman and CEO Jim Dolan; PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi; The Madison Square Garden Company president Andy Lustgarten; PepsiCo North America CEO Al Carey; Z100’s morning show anchor Elvis Duran; chart-topping singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha; New York Rangers legends Mike Richter, Adam Graves and Ron Duguay; New York Knicks legends Walt Frazier and Larry Johnson; and the world-famous Radio City Rockettes.
PepsiCo is partnering with its local independent bottler, the Honickman Group, for distribution and marketing to MSG properties in the New York metro area.
