NBA Secures Huge Marketing Partnership With PepsiCo

April 14, 2015

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has secured a new marketing deal with PepsiCo.

PepsiCo becomes the official food and beverage of the NBA, the WNBA, the Development League and USA Basketball.

The new deal ends the league’s 28-year partnership with Coca-Cola, who in turn struck a deal yesterday with Major League Soccer (MLS) and the US Soccer Federation.

“We’re honoured 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.”

Pepsico chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi said: “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.”

Nooyi confirmed that Mountain Dew, the soft drink brand owned and produced by PepsiCo, will lead the NBA’s marketing strategy.

The Coca-Cola Company released a statement saying that it “will continue to have a strong presence within basketball culture through our relationships with iconic players.”

Coca-Cola currently has endorsement deals with high-profile NBA stars such as LeBron James and Derrick Rose. 

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