Pepsi Severs Ties with BBDO After 48 Years

Pepsi has parted ways with BBDO, New York, after spending 48 years with the agency. TBWA\Chiat\Day, Playa Del Ray, CA, will now handle lead communications for Pepsi and Diet Pepsi in the U.S. The Arnell Group, New York, manages Pepsi branding and packaging.

Pepsi's advertising history with BBDO includes Michael Jackson's hair catching on fire during a commercial shoot, Michael J. Fox's adventure out of his apartment to get a Diet Pepsi for a then-unknown Gail O'Grady, Madonna's "Like a Prayer" commercial controversy and Britney Spears, Beyonce and Pink starring in a Super Bowl commercial together. BBDO is the agency behind Pepsi slogans like Have a Pepsi Day, The Choice of a New Generation, The Joy of Cola and Pepsi. For those who think young.

BBDO will still manage brands Pepsi Max, Mountain Dew, AMP Energy and the North American Coffee Partnership with Starbucks. The agency will also retain the Pepsi account for advertising outside of the U.S.