Pepsi’s marketing gurus have been appealing to consumers through music seemingly for eons. Much of that perception is due to the success the soda maker has had in tying its name to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Even after the guy’s been laid to rest for more than three years, and earning more than ever, Pepsi is still celebrating its legendary association with the performer.

Back in May, Pepsi announced its deal with the Michael Jackson estate and Sony Music to an exclusive global marketing partnership that included featuring the Gloved One on a billion limited edition Pepsi cans released around the world, starting in China.

As part of its music-based global "Live for Now" platform, the Pepsi brand is reminding consumers that it's been 25 years since Jackson's iconic Bad album was released — an anniversary that director Spike Lee is marking with a documentary, and which Pepsi celebrated in late August in a concert with Billboard and singer Ne-Yo, who performed such hits as Closer from the album, which was released on Aug. 31, 1987.Continue reading...

We've just passed the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s death from an overdose of barbiturates, but the world still can’t keep its collective eyes off of her visage — or brand. She may not have an annual week dedicated to her as Elvis does, but her doe-eyed, beauty-marked visage is stronger than ever.

Forbes, which has made something of a cottage industry out of tracking dead celebrities' brands, estimates that Monroe pulled in $27 million in 2011, third behind Michael Jackson and Presley in the dead-celeb sweepstakes.

Her image and likeness are controlled by Authentic Brands Group and partner NECA, which purchased the Monroe brand in 2010. The plan in process now, according to the Associated Press, is to upgrade “Monroe offerings from trinkets to cosmetic lines, spas, salons and apparel.”Continue reading...

Has your favorite musician died? Stick around long enough and he or she will surely make an appearance again via hologram. At the rate things are going, and for the right "appearance" fee of course, you may eventually invite your own hologram Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer to perform at your wedding or other private event.

The "virtual performance" business kicked off in April when Dr. Dre debuted a hologram of Tupac Shakur on-stage at Coachella. As Entertainment Weekly notes, that was followed by plans to resurrect Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes for live shows and the re-creation of Elvis for a concert series.

It also got the Jackson family talking about whether they should bring Michael back on the road — after all, he's already on the comeback trail with Pepsi this summer as part of its (ironically) "Live For Now" marketing campaign.Continue reading...

Pepsi today debuts "Now in the Moment," the beverage giant's new commercial starring Nicki Minaj, as part of its global "Live for Now" campaign. Check out the 60-second and 90-second extended versions below, with more on the brand's biggest global campaign to date, a team effort by the Omnicom network of agencies.Continue reading...

Pepsi has announced an exclusive global partnership with Michael Jackson’s Estate as part of its new "Live for Now" campaign, PepsiCo’s global platform to re-engage teens via pop music and culture influencers including Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry, whose upcoming movie the brand is sponsoring.

The deal coincides with brand's legacy with the King of Pop and the 25th anniversary of Jackson's multi-platinum Bad album (released August 31, 1987) and record-breaking tour, and Pepsi and Sony Music will share new mixes, as well as one billion — that's right, billion — special edition Michael Jackson Bad 25 Pepsi limited edition cans with an iconic silhouette of Jackson, as you can see below.Continue reading...

Rocawear's first ever TV commercial features founder Jay-Z, above. In other celebrity brandcasting today, Burger King's new commercials feature Mary J. Blige, David Beckham, Jay Leno, and Salma Hayek promoting BK's 10 new menu items, its biggest menu expansion since 1954, which debuts today.Continue reading...

Angry Birds are coming to TV.

Apple pressured on suppliers and sustainability as brand sees Consumer Reports soft-pedal problem of "hot" iPads.

Belvedere vodka "rape ad" actress sues Moet Hennessy.

BMW unveils "sexy" i8 Spyder concept.

Burger King promotes new menu with Jay Leno, Mary J. Blige, David Beckham and Sofia Vergara.

Chevrolet plans decision on future of "Chevy Runs Deep" with new ad agency.

Coty offers to buy Avon for $10 billion.

Current nixes Keith Olbermann as on-air anchor, citing behavior.

Dunkin' Donuts launches Hispanic marketing campaign.

Facebook delves deeper into search.Continue reading...

After Whitney Houston’s unfortunate death last Saturday, anyone turning on a TV or radio got to hear her signature tune, “I Will Always Love You,” countless times, whether it was Jennifer Hudson singing it on the Grammys or Amber Riley performing it, apparently coincidentally, on the Valentine’s Day episode of Glee on FOX.

Of course Houston had a slew of other massive hits, such as “How Will I Know,” “The Greatest Love of All,” and “I Want to Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” but the fact that one tune kept spilling out of the speakers over and over again didn’t speak well of her brand’s ability to stick around for generations to come.

Metro reports that Houston, whose funeral is taking place on Saturday (with a live-stream for fans via the Associated Press), has a chance to “have a legacy that can outlive our collective memory of her somewhat tainted past” of drug and alcohol abuse. That legacy may lie in the hands of marketing pros “who specialize in the act of ‘sanitizing’ the image of a deceased celebrity."Continue reading...