MAM
Pepsi pens $50mn deal with Beyoncé
MUMBAI: Global beverage giant Pepsi has announced creative and wide-ranging global collaboration with worldwide music icon Beyoncé. The company made the announcement on its website in a statement titled ‘Pepsi and Beyonce Fact Sheet’.
Pepsi and the music icon will collaborate to develop new content and come up with out of the box ways to engage fans, consumers and retailers in a way that benefits both brands.
This is not Beyoncé’s first association with Pepsi. Before becoming the brand ambassador, she has served as a Pepsi spokesperson in 2002. According to media reports, the collaboration deal is worth $50 million.
The collaboration between Pepsi and Beyoncé includes establishing the Creative Development Fund, a resource devoted to the co-creation of innovative and relevant consumer content. The two will also work together on the apects of design. In addition to having her image on a can or bottle, Beyoncé is working with Pepsi on the design of all materials related to the partnership. Apart from this, the musician will be starring in a new ‘Live for Now’ global TV commercial planned for release in early 2013.
Apart from the TVC, Beyoncé will also be appearing in print and out of home advertisements for Pepsi. She will also be visible in-store and on-premise through materials such as shelf promotions, in-store displays and in-store advertising.
The company said in the fact sheet, “The Beyoncé partnership is the lead example of how Pepsi is pioneering a new way for brands to engage with musical artists, moving from sponsor to partner. This creates a creative and commercial collaboration that serves both artist and brand. Beyond the partnership with Beyoncé, we are using our global scale and scope to create a platform to support multiple country-specific Pepsi musical artists. With our music program, we can excite our existing fans and attract new consumers to Pepsi, connecting their love of music with the refreshing experience of drinking Pepsi, driving sales of Pepsi globally. Our retail partners love music partnerships and are ready to embrace this relationship because Pepsi has a proven record of promotions that drive store traffic and sales.”
MAM
McDonald’s India CBO Arvind RP exits after seven years
The chief business officer exits after a stint that took him from marketing to leading South India operations.
MUMBAI: Arvind RP is out. The chief business officer of McDonald’s India has stepped down from the fast-food giant after more than seven years, and is currently serving out his notice period.
It is a significant exit. Arvind joined McDonald’s India in 2019 as director of marketing and communications, a fairly conventional brief, but steadily accumulated responsibilities until he was running the profit and loss for the company’s entire South India operation, with store operations, new outlet development, marketing, human resources and training all falling under his remit.
In a LinkedIn post, he was characteristically warm about his time there. “Looking back, many of the moments that stand out in my career aren’t just about outcomes or milestones; they’re about the incredible people who were part of the journey,” he wrote, adding that he had been “lucky to be surrounded by fantastic team members.”
Before McDonald’s, Arvind spent six years at skincare chain Kaya, where he led marketing and analytics, overseeing brand-building, product innovation and digital and customer relationship management. His career spans a remarkable sweep of Indian industry: retail at Levi Strauss & Co, consumer goods at Britannia Industries, and automobiles at TVS Motor Company, where he also took an international posting in Jakarta.
With 25 years of experience across quick-service restaurants, beauty, fashion and FMCG, Arvind will not be short of takers. The only question is who moves first.







