The Beating a Dead Horse - erm - Corpse Department

Pepsi Announces Michael Jackson Ad Campaign

In a move not quite as dramatic as Coachella’s resurrection of Tupac, PepsiCo Inc. said today that it has collaborated with Michael Jackson’s estate to use the Gloved One’s  image and his music in a series of new ads across the world.

The promotion will vary across the globe but will include Jackson’s silhouette on 1 billion special-edition cans as well as a TV spot, contests and the opportunity for fans to download remixes of some of Jackson’s top hits.

The Michael Jackson campaign also will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the “Bad” album and his 1988 tour, which the company sponsored.

It is part of PepsiCo’s “Live for Now” promotion, which Brad Jakeman, president of Global Enjoyment Brands and chief creative officer of PepsiCo’s Global Beverage Group, said was meant to highlight the company’s relationship with pop culture. 

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Laura Ries, president of Ries and Ries, an Atlanta marketing strategy firm, said that it made sense for PepsiCo to bring back Jackson, especially for the “Bad” anniversary, because fans were eager to revisit good memories of the entertainer.

“We all want to remember the Michael who was the ‘King of Pop,’” she said. “He’s very iconic. … Enough time has passed [since his 2009 death]. They will be excited to remember Michael Jackson and excited about Pepsi.”

Believe me when I tell you I am not excited. Resurrecting the perv druggie as a sales tool smacks of desperate commercialism. "Live for Now????" Are you freaking kidding me? Did I stumble upon an Onion article? I got news for ya all:


link

That's right, Michael is DEAD. Dead, dead, dead. To Pepsi I say:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
  Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit,
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
  Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

and

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

I got news for Pepsi. At a point in the not so distant future, The King of Pop will be a wart on the a$$ of culture, while the works of ol' Omar and William will still be studied and appreciated. I just don't see treatises on Billy Jean or Bad, for some reason.

Of course, who knows what the future holds? Perhaps Shakespeare (some old English dude who cain't speak modern English so weze cain unnerstan heem) and Khayyám (just some towel haided Iranian dude no one is innerested in no mo) will be heaped on the dustbin of history and The King Perv will be an object of veneration and adulation. If so, I'm glad I'll be gone or nearly so.