Pepsico scores the UEFA Champions League

Press release

Published June 16th, 2015 - 04:39 GMT

Al Bawaba

PepsiCo’s flagship global brandsPepsi, Pepsi MAX, Lay’s and Gatorade are joining forces with the UEFA Champions League as PepsiCo today announced a new partnership with the prestigious European club football tournament.

PepsiCo’s agreement with the UEFA Champions League will officially begin on July 1, prior to the start of the 2015/16 season. Pepsi, Pepsi MAX, Lay’s and Gatorade will serve as lead brands for the tournament. In addition, PepsiCo will also integrate Doritos, Lipton and 7UP brands into the sponsorship programme.

Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo Europe CEO, said: “Today’s announcement takes PepsiCo’s long-standing relationship with great football to another level. The UEFA Champions League is without a doubt one of the most prestigious football competitions in the world, and with more than a billion football fans watching the matches every season, this new partnership offers unprecedented opportunities for both parties. We’re passionate about football and we can’t wait to share that passion with UEFA Champions League fans in Europe and around the world.”

He added: “PepsiCo’s food and beverage brands, combined with the power of the UEFA Champions League, are a perfect fit. In joining forces we can create great opportunities for friends and families to come together and enjoy themselves. Together we will take the union between football and entertainment to new heights and UEFA Champions League fans can expect some fantastic new experiences from Pepsi, Pepsi MAX, Lay’s and Gatorade as we head into the 2015/16 season. Stay tuned!”

“Football is one of the most popular sports in the Middle East and Africa and through this partnership with the UEFA Champions League, we will be able to offer a whole host of new experiences that bring fans together across the region,” said Omar Farid, President PepsiCo Middle East and Africa. “We are very proud to be partnering with such a prestigious football league, and I hope that this collaboration will be the beginning of a fun and exciting journey between both parties”, he added.

Commenting on the agreement, Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Events SA Marketing Director, said: “We are delighted to welcome PepsiCo as an official partner of the UEFA Champions League. PepsiCo is a truly global partner, and we are excited to be working closely with them on engaging fans across the world through innovative marketing activations, while also benefiting from their extensive experience in the entertainment area to further enhance the UEFA Champions League brand.”

The UEFA Champions League Final is the world’s most watched annual sporting event. The final on Saturday (June 6, 2015) was aired in more than 200 countries, reaching an estimated 400 million viewers, with an anticipated average live match viewership of 180 million. The season from the Play-Offs to Final runs over 17 match weeks with a total of 145 games. The league provides more than 110,000 hours of TV content over a season and audiences are significant regionally and globally, with 1.1 billion unique viewers of live match coverage worldwide.

Alongside its long-standing passion for football, PepsiCo also has a legacy of partnering with world-class sports leagues to develop engaging, cutting-edge content and marketing programmes. PepsiCo’s other sports league partners include the National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, Indian Premier League and International Cricket Council.

Background Information

Pepsi Cola International

In 1965, Donald Kendall, the CEO of Pepsi-Cola, and Herman Lay, the CEO of Frito-Lay, recognized what they called “a marriage made in heaven,” a single company delivering perfectly-salty snacks served alongside the best cola on earth. Their vision led to what quickly became one of the world's leading food and beverage companies: PepsiCo.

For more than 50 years, as tastes, trends and lifestyles have changed, PepsiCo has evolved with them. Our willingness to adapt and grow has transformed our snack and soda company into a collection of global brands including Pepsi and Quaker, Gatorade and Tropicana, Frito-Lay and beyond. Today, PepsiCo is one of the world’s most-respected companies with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories and 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.