Coca-Cola and Pepsi made dueling announcements of new major league sports sponsorships Monday as the two powerhouses continued their long-running battle for beverage supremacy.
Atlanta-based Coke unveiled Monday a reportedly four-year deal to be the official sponsor of Major League Soccer. The sponsorship, which had been held by Pepsi until the end of last year, is on top of the global deal Coca-Cola has had with FIFA’s World Cup since 1974.
Not to be outdone, Pepsi announced later in the day that it had secured the sponsorship right for the National Basketball Association, a partnership previously held by Coca-Cola. Pepsi’s deal gives the Purchase, N.Y.-company the North American league sponsorship rights for the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and the NBA, said industry publication Beverage Digest.
A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said the company remains fans of the NBA, of which Coke had been a sponsor for 28 years.
“However, we have made the decision not to renew our global contract at the end of the 2014/2015 season,” the spokeswoman said. “The Coca-Cola Company has committed an incremental $1 billion toward its brands over the next three years, and with this commitment comes the need to focus on the most effective and efficient investments to maximize brand growth.”
Coke said the company will continue its relationships with individual NBA players, teams and venues.
Coke’s carbonated and water beverages also will be the official sponsor of the Mexican National Team’s U.S. Tour, the company said in its MLS announcement.
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