PURCHASE, N.Y. — PepsiCo Inc. has been named as the exclusive food and beverage launch partner for iTunes Radio, Apple’s new iAd-supported streaming radio service.
The beverage and food giant said Wednesday that on iTunes Radio it will deliver custom experiences across its roster of brands, as well as branded channels within iTunes Radio, reaching millions of consumers on their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, Mac or PC.
PepsiCo noted that it will have the only branded channels on iTunes Radio at its launch and plans to integrate multiple food and beverage brands from its portfolio.
Pepsi will be the first PepsiCo brand to debut on the streaming radio service with Pepsi "Pulse #Now." The channel features four stations dedicated to pop, country, Latin and electronic dance music and will be promoted on iTunesRadio.com/pepsi.
PepsiCo said plans call for brand channels to follow later this year, enabling the company to drive fan engagement with artists and musical genres across its brands, which include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade and Frito-Lay.
"PepsiCo has consistently leveraged music as a growth driver for our brands. We believe that today’s music eco-system allows our brands to play a more active role in supporting artists and engaging music fans," stated Frank Cooper, chief marketing officer for global consumer engagement in the PepsiCo Global Beverages Group. "As Apple continues as the leader of digital music and iTunes Radio instantly becomes a key player in the streaming music space, we view this relationship as an integral part of PepsiCo’s global strategy to provide fans with unique access to the world’s most iconic music artists, as well as a major stage for rising stars within our music portfolio."
At launch, iTunes Radio is available only in the United States, but PepsiCo said it will have further global reach through iAd’s App Network, which will run ads across multiple territories worldwide.
