PepsiCo is trying to "copy the success of Marlboro Miles,
and douse some of the sizzle" of Coca-Cola's Olympic sponsorship,
with its "Pepsi Stuff" campaign, according to NEWSDAY. In
exchange for points accumulated by purchasing Pepsi products, the
campaign will include more than 4.5 million items with Pepsi
logos, worth $125M, over a seven-month span. Harry Berkowitz
notes Pepsi "needs" a big campaign to counter Coca-Cola this
summer, as Coke expects a "surge in sales" due to Olympic tie-
ins, which are being held in its hometown, Atlanta. TV spots for
the campaign will break next week. Pepsi Exec VP/Marketing Brian
Swette: "In the quagmire of Summer Games advertising that will no
doubt flood the marketplace this summer, we believe that Stuff
will really break through" (NEWSDAY, 3/28).
COKE NOTES: In its roles as official soft drink of the PGA
Tour, Coca-Cola's caffeine free diet Coke brand has launched the
"Par Four to Hawaii" sweepstakes which offers one grand-prize
winner an eight-day trip for four to Hawaii's Hilton Waikoloa
Village (Coca-Cola USA)....Fred Burgess of Burgess Creative
Concepts has filed suit for more than $100M alleging Coca-Cola's
polar bear campaign was his idea. The two sides were unable to
negotiate a settlement (Chris Roush, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/28).
