The Magic and PepsiCo on Thursday announced a multiyear extension of their sponsorship deal, which keeps PepsiCo as a partner at the Champions of the Community level. PepsiCo remains the team's longest standing exclusive partner, dating back to the team's inaugural season 26 years ago. It remains the official and exclusive non-alcoholic beverage and salty snack provider at Amway Center, offering brands including Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Frito-Lay and Gatorade. Pepsi also gets branding in Magic marketing and communications (THE DAILY).
MONSTERS INC: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Mike Esterl reported Coca-Cola in the next few weeks "expects to close" a $2.15B deal struck last August to "acquire a 16.7% stake in energy drink maker Monster Beverage Corp. as part of an asset swap and distribution pact." Coca-Cola said last month that it had "raised its stake" in Keurig Green Mountain after "buying a 10% stake" for $1.25B last year. The soft drink company in the Monster deal "will leverage its massive global distribution network to get more Monster energy drinks in consumer hands outside of the U.S." The deal also makes it "highly unlikely anyone else will move in on Monster." Meanwhile, by buying a stake in Keurig, Coca-Cola "diversifies more into coffee." But that deal also allows the company to "team up on a new cold countertop carbonation machine that Keurig is developing that will feature Coke K-cups, giving Coke a new route into consumers’ homes" (WSJ.com, 3/19).
