Earnhardt Jr. to star in AMP Energy Super Bowl commercial

PURCHASE, N.Y. (Jan. 30, 2008) – The pulse of American pop culture is racing right through Super Bowl Sunday and it's hitching a ride on the back of Pepsi's unprecedented slate of Super Bowl advertising that features a lineup of brands, images and stars as diverse as Pepsi’s portfolio of drinks. In a series of spots that will run across the pre-game show and game telecast, Pepsi will bring 90 million-plus viewers the biggest stars in music, sports and entertainment while giving consumers a taste of innovation in terms of product, promotion, emotion and vision. “Nobody has a beverage portfolio as wide and deep as ours and nobody has a 'sense of event' like we do,” says Cie Nicholson, chief marketing officer for Pepsi-Cola North America, a unit of PepsiCo Americas Beverages. “When you put those two elements together on Super Bowl Sunday, you have a genuine opportunity to entertain. We’ll take full advantage of this by presenting a mix of celebrity and creativity that puts our brands at the core of pop culture – before the game, during the game and all over new media.” Promising a one-of-a-kind lineup for a one-of-a-kind day, Pepsi's Super Sunday lineup includes: Justin Timberlake attracting irresistible attention to Pepsi Stuff, its most magnetic merchandise bonanza ever; Dale Earnhardt Jr. getting a charge out of AMP Energy drink; Naomi Campbell strutting her stuff for SoBe Life Water; Derek Jeter launching Gatorade's G2; Diet Pepsi Max jostling awake anyone who would dare nod off during the big game; and the newest stars on the Super block, a group of deaf PepsiCo employees who have plenty to say in a commercial communicated entirely in sign language, with absolutely no sound. Timberlake, Earnhardt Jr., Campbell, Jeter and other familiar faces will share the stage with “truly breakthrough advertising concepts,” according to Nicholson. “The stage is set and we aim to fill it. In doing so, we're going to put on a really big show the way only we can.” Exactly what kind of show will Pepsi be putting on this Super Bowl Sunday? Here is a glimpse at who’s on the marquee: AMP Energy – Dale Earnhardt Jr. – “Camel” (Pre-Game) AMP Energy drink helps NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., get over the hump and harness the energy, focus and control he needs to compete in a camel race. AMP Energy – “Jump Start” AMP Energy drink gives a tow-truck driver the push he needs to get a stranded motorist's engine purring again. Pepsi Stuff – Justin Timberlake – “Magnetic Attraction” Justin Timberlake, the Emmy and Grammy award-winning artist, demonstrates the pull of Pepsi Stuff, the biggest promotion in Pepsi history. Timberlake generates a magnetic attraction in a stunt-filled ad showing how every sip of Pepsi gets you closer to the “stuff” you want from a total pool of $1 billion in prizes. Beginning February 1, consumers purchasing Pepsi products can bank their points on PepsiStuff.com and redeem them for music on Amazon MP3 as well as electronics, apparel, DVDs, CDs and more. Diet Pepsi Max – “Nod” In a nod to a beloved Saturday Night Live sketch that became a cult classic movie, Diet Pepsi MAX will show how difficult it can be to maintain focus in the course of a day on the job, an evening at the Super Bowl or even a Night at the Roxbury...and how easy it is to focus your mind and boost your energy with Diet Pepsi MAX. As this commercial demonstrates, sluggishness and fatigue can hit anybody, even musical giants Missy Elliott, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes and Macy Gray, all of whom are caught nodding off until they are brought back to full consciousness by Diet Pepsi MAX. SoBe Life Water – “Lee the Lizard” In an unprecedented Super Bowl commercial, SoBe Life Water launches its full portfolio in a highly innovative stance. The spot centers around the core inspiration of the product, and portrays the beverage through a unique and exhilarating perspective, helped by one of the world’s most famous supermodels, Naomi Campbell. Conceived and directed by Peter Arnell, this pop culture phenomenon will ignite a series of year-long activities that reflect SoBe’s roots and original brand identity, the lizard. G2 – Derek Jeter Gatorade will run advertising featuring the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter in Super Bowl XLII to support the launch of G2, the new low-calorie hydrator. For decades Gatorade has hydrated and fueled athletes on the field and now G2 will help keep athletes hydrated OFF the field. The commercial provides a glimpse of Jeter off the field in Manhattan and features a visual transformation of the urban environment into a sports landscape, with grass and a baseball infield coming to life with every step Jeter takes, communicating that athletes often think about the game even when they’re off the field of play. “With the addition of G2, Gatorade has the Super Bowl covered inside and out,” said Matt Knott, Gatorade Vice President of Marketing. “Gatorade is the sports drink that is proven to fuel athletic performance on the field, and now with the launch of G2, we’re meeting hydration needs 24/7.” Pepsi-Cola and Lay’s Potato Chips – “Bob’s House” (Pre-Game) PepsiCo, the parent company of Pepsi and Frito-Lay, brings silence to the Super Bowl pre-game show with this 60-second commercial filmed in American Sign Language (ASL). Already a certifiable social network sensation with hundreds of thousands of viewings, the commercial was created by and stars PepsiCo employees from the company's internal EnAble network. “Bob’s House” puts a comedic spin on how two deaf friends, en route to watch a football game at their friend Bob’s house, are able to find his place despite not having the address. In this spot, we see Pepsi-Cola and Lay’s Potato Chips, but the heart of the ad is devoted to raising awareness of the American deaf community with the widest television audience of the year. It is presented without sound and is one noteworthy way PepsiCo is delivering on its defining corporate vision of Performance with Purpose. “EnAble’s mission is truly the ultimate expression of Performance with Purpose – it is about recognizing the full potential, not only of everyone at PepsiCo, but also our consumers and business partners,” said Massimo d’Amore, CEO of PepsiCo Americas Beverages. “This ground-breaking ad will heighten cultural awareness by millions of viewers on a global stage.” The Pepsi Stuff, Diet Pepsi Max, AMP Energy and Bob's House commercials were created by BBDO-NY. The G2 commercial was created by Element 79 Partners, Chicago. About PepsiCo: PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, with 2006 annual revenues of more than $35 billion. The company employs approximately 168,000 people worldwide, and its products are sold in approximately 200 countries. Its principal businesses include: Frito-Lay snacks, Pepsi-Cola beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices and Quaker foods. The PepsiCo portfolio includes 17 brands that generate $1 billion or more each in annual retail sales. Pepsi has been a major advertiser on the Super Bowl telecast for 22 consecutive years and is an official sponsor of the National Football League. About Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo’s commitment to sustainable growth, defined as Performance with Purpose, is focused on generating healthy financial returns while giving back to communities the company serves. This includes meeting consumer needs for a spectrum of convenient foods and beverages, reducing the company’s impact on the environment through water, energy and packaging initiatives, and supporting its employees through a diverse and inclusive culture that recruits and retains world-class talent. PepsiCo is listed on the Dow Jones North America Sustainability Index and Dow Jones World Sustainability Index. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.