food and beverages

PepsiCo Replaces Coca-Cola With Redskins

PepsiCo has prevailed in the latest sports sponsorship face-off with archrival Coca-Cola. 

PepsiCo signed a long-term deal with The Washington Redskins that ends the Redskins’ decades-long beverage sponsorship with Coca-Cola — at least until the contract comes up again. 

PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay snack brands and Gatorade already had sponsorship deals with the Redskins; now, PepsiCo will become both the non-alcoholic beverages and snacks sponsor for the team and FedExField, starting in August.   

In addition to Gatorade and Tostitos, Doritos, Stacy's Pita Chips and SunChips, the company will now be able to offer Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Mountain Dew, Aquafina, Lifewtr,  Lipton iced tea,  Starbucks ready-to-drink coffee and other products at Redskins games. 

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PepsiCo also will be the presenting partner for the Redskins’ 2017 season. 

The deal includes exclusive marketing rights in the categories, spanning mobile, TV and digital assets, in-stadium signage, and local media and retail promotional opportunities. 

As part of the agreement, this fall, in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area, Tostitos and Pepsi will offer limited-edition packaging bearing the Redskins logo. 

Tostitos also saluted the Redskins’ marching band and “infused the chips with Redskins luck” with a video showing a one-man band play marching songs as the chips came off the production line. (The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg noted that given the Redskins’ record in the past two decades, he “might prefer chips infused with Patriots’ luck.”)

The Redskins Tostitos bag is one of 19 “Lucky Bags” being produced for the upcoming season, to pay tribute to the traditions of various NFL teams.

PepsiCo also will sponsor an event at the Redskins’ first game on September 10.

Redskins tight end Jordan Reed is among PepsiCo's athlete brand reps. PepsiCo is also an official sponsor of the National Football League (and the National Hockey League).  

This is the second turnabout this year between the two sports sponsorship rivals. In April, Coca-Cola replaced PepsiCo as the official nonalcoholic beverages sponsor of Major League Baseball — although Pepsi is still being sold in 11 stadiums where PepsiCo had existing team partnerships. 

Back in 2015, Pepsi inked a contract with the NBA, ending Coca-Cola’s 28-year sponsorship partnership with the organization.  

 
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