MIAMI – When FIU students returned to school today after the holiday break, they found a Pepsi campus where a Coke campus had previously stood.
“There’s Pepsi everywhere,” said Alina Gonzalez. “I like the welcome banners, the free drinks and all the excitement.”
FIU has reached an agreement with Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG), the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages. The agreement makes Pepsi the official beverage at FIU and gives Pepsi exclusivity of pouring and marketing rights.
The five-year agreement, renewable for up to a total of nine years, is a multimillion dollar deal.
“We came to this agreement after weighing our options very carefully,” said Assistant Vice President for Business Services Jeff Krablin, who oversaw the bidding process and helped negotiate the contract. “We believe Pepsi will be a good partner of FIU for many years to come. This new partnership will provide great exposure for FIU by joining efforts with Pepsi in creating marketing initiatives that brand the university within the local community.”
PBG’s product line includes Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Lipton Iced Tea, Sobe Lifewater, Gatorade, Propel, Aquafina, Muscle Milk, Amp Energy, ROCKSTAR Energy Drink, and Starbucks Frappuccino.
“We are excited to become members of the Florida International community,” said Paula Hopkins, Regional Sales Director at PBG. “For nearly four decades, FIU has built a reputation for academic excellence, cutting-edge research, athletic achievement and civic engagement. All of us in Miami-Dade County benefit from having the Golden Panthers as our neighbors, and we’re honored to have the opportunity to bring our wide-variety of beverages to their great campus.”
PBG is the university’s official beverage partner, and as such, will sponsor the university’s athletic program. This will include Pepsi signage at all FIU athletic facilities, exclusive beverage marketing rights for all university athletic programs, and cross-promotional opportunities on www.fiusports.com.
Another valuable element of the agreement is PBG’s support for the university’s environmental sustainability programs. Working with FIU, PBG will help to promote the campus’s green initiatives by installing new energy efficient vending machines on all FIU campuses.
“Environmental sustainability is something we take very seriously at FIU,” said Krablin. “PBG is a partner who shares that commitment, and we look forward to working with them to improve our community.”
Media Contact: Maydel Santana-Bravo at 305-348-1555.
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About PBG:
The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages, with annual sales of nearly $14 billion. With nearly 67,000 employees worldwide, PBG has operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Turkey and Greece. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.pbg.com.
About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. More than 100,000 FIU alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University”. In August 2009, FIU welcomed the inaugural class of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu.
I understand that the business side of a university probably has to exist in some form, but this deal with Pepsi is ridiculous and the branding is inappropriate.
It's one thing to stick it on the sports teams and their events- that kind of thing is expected. However, it was kind of upsetting to drive into school this morning and see all the usual FIU banners that are across campus promoting academic success and such, but with Pepsi logos slapped on top of them.
Does corporate advertising really belong in the same picture as education? I really don't think so. It has nothing to do with school and it makes me feel like FIU is more interested in pushing brands in my face than educating me. It was product placement at its worst. It doesn't belong in a place of learning and it's just shameful to have it flying on the banners across campus for all to see.
Oh, and I wont let Pepsi off the hook, either. This was probably their idea.