• by Tanya Gazdik , July 14, 2014

PepsiCo brands will be heavily featured during this week’s 85th Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Pepsi, Lay's, Gatorade, Aquafina, Frito-Lay Seeds and Cracker Jack are activating marketing efforts around the game at Target Field in Minneapolis. PepsiCo, a 15-year partner of MLB, is the exclusive non-alcoholic beverage, sports fuel and salty snacks sponsor of the league.

Brands will be highlighted in a variety of ways, from Gatorade hydrating athletes in the dugout to bringing a once-in-a-lifetime Pepsi “Real. Big. Summer.” viewing experience to fans to sampling Lay's Potato Chips.

"All-Star Week is a huge event for many of our brands and we are excited to join MLB to make this year even bigger and better," said Justin Toman, director, sports marketing, PepsiCo, in a release.

Pepsi brought the sights and sounds of the ballpark to Mall of America on July 12 ahead of the game with fan festival giveaways, sampling and a live performance from music artists Us the Duo.

The first-ever MLB All-Star Summer Pepsi Block Party, July 13-15, features celebrity chefs and food tastings from the PepsiCo kitchen. The event is free to attend and open to all fans.

Pepsi's "Real. Big. Summer." program will make a stop at Target Field where four lucky fans will watch the MLB All-Star Game complete with a VIP experience in first-of-its-kind "Big Blue Seats."  Pepsi also will debut a national 60-second ad capturing a local hardball team in Milwaukee surprised with the experience of a lifetime -- playing a game on the field at Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Along with sponsorship of the Gatorade All-Star Workout Day again this year, Gatorade will have exclusive product placement in the dugouts, during batting practice and in the bullpens. Lay's Potato Chips and Cracker Jack will be present in stadium at Target Field during all of the week's events and the Lay's brand will be sampling during the T-Mobile All-Star Fan Fest.

In addition to exclusive rights within the non-alcoholic beverage, sports fuel and salty snack categories, PepsiCo brands currently sponsor more than half of the MLB teams and have over a dozen MLB athletes on its roster.

"Citi Field" photo from Shutterstock.