Beyonce Knowles is a busy woman these days – and now, thanks to Pepsi, she has 50 million new reasons to smile.
The former Destiny Child’s front woman and “Single Ladies” songstress is adding another job to her extensive and varied resume: Pitch Woman. The new mother has entered into a large endorsement deal with Pepsi that seems certain to provide baby Blue Ivy with a decent college fund.
This lucrative soda pop deal comes on the heels of Beyonce revealing her directorial debut, a very personal untitled HBO documentary set to
air on February 16, 2013. The doc focuses on her guarded and much gossiped about life with rap artist/mogul/husband Jay-Z and Blue Ivy who will celebrate her first birthday in January.
In another strategic move potentially furthering her cause of ruling the planet, Bey has taken the reigns of her career and showcased just how much power she already has with this Pepsi deal. Forbes.com reports: “The unconventional multi-year deal includes standard advertising like commercials and print ads.” Media analysts are already saying that the deal is so expansive, in fact, that it may usher in a new era of artists seeking control over their overall brand.
Lee Anne Callahan-Longo, the general manager of Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé’s company, told The New York Times in an interview that the deal marked a great day for artists’ independence. “It’s wise for a brand like Pepsi to give an artist the ability to truly express herself,” said Longo, “instead of just the old-school way of, ‘Do you want to be in an advertisement?”
Could the move backfire? Although Pepsi has a long history of headline-grabbing celebrity-fueled commercials ranging from Britney Spears to Michael Jackson to Cindy Crawford and Shakira, it’s still difficult to think of such commercials without remembering the Madonna fiasco. In January of 1989, the then-biggest-female-artist in the world was given $5 million to sell the soft drink for a year – only to release a commercial that ran once. Playing off the controversial “Like a Prayer” video that would soon be the talk of MTV, with the singer having sex with a black Christ-figure in a church; by the time the Pope was speaking out against Madonna, Pepsi had decided to end the partnership.
Of course, Beyonce isn’t nearly as much of a button-pusher as Madonna was in her prime – but the young diva has been given tremendous power with the deal, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
From the Pepsi commercial planned to accompany her already buzz worthy Pepsi sponsored Super Bowl halftime performance, set to air on February 3rd to special edition Beyonce Pepsi cans, there is a lot going on here. Beyonce is being crowned as the official global brand ambassador, and print ads include a slimmed-down, yet still bootylicious Beyonce in sleek Mary Janes and a bedazzled black jacket. I’m guessing pants were optional for this particular shoot.
Bey has made a lot of money over the years; last year’s “I Am…” tour alone grossed over $119 million dollars. However, this Pepsi deal will ultimately make Queen B a mainstay from continent to continent, a living legend, immortalized on those small blue cans that represent a significant part of the American tapestry. Not too shabby when you consider that she hasn’t yet reached the ripe age of 32.