Pepsi Press Release

KISS ROCKS WITH "PEPSI GIRL" IN NEW PEPSI COMMERCIAL

"Joy Of Cola" Spot to Debut on Academy Awards Telecast

PURCHASE, N.Y., March 16, 2000 - KISS has dazzled generations of rock fans for nearly 27 years with hits like "Beth", "Detroit Rock City" and "Rock and Roll All Nite." But there's one song that has yet to creep into their playlist until now - Pepsi's "The Joy of Cola."

In a new commercial set to debut on the Academy Awards telecast March 26 on ABC, KISS will perform its own rousing rendition of the Pepsi jingle. They'll be joined onstage by a special guest, "Pepsi Girl" Hallie Eisenberg.

"KISS puts on one of the best stage shows in the history of rock, and their fans will attest to that," said Dawn Hudson, senior vice president, strategy and marketing, Pepsi-Cola Company. "In this commercial, we incorporate some of the elements that make KISS such a great act into a special rendition of 'The Joy of Cola' that people will surely remember."

After over 25 years and nearly 80 million albums sold, legendary rock n' roll icons, KISS are currently on the final tour of their amazing career. The KISS "Farewell Tour" will be the final opportunity to see the four original KISS members - Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss - perform on stage together. The 80-plus city tour will cover most of the U.S. and some of Canada over the next five months. With a history dating back to 1973 and over 30 albums to their credit, KISS remain one of the world's most successful and enduring acts.

The "Joy of Cola" campaign, created by Pepsi's longtime agency, BBDO New York, is in its second year. After debuting on the 1999 Academy Awards, a nationwide viewer poll voted the campaign the best in the show by a margin of more than 2:1 over its nearest competitor. USA TODAY's ongoing "Ad Track" survey produced a 41% likeability score, the third-highest rating among all fifty commercial campaigns monitored in 1999.

Hallie Eisenberg, the 3'10" star of the "Joy of Cola" campaign, was selected "outstanding young performer in a television commercial" by the Young Artist Awards for her work. Faith Hill has signed on for the campaign this year, as have baseball stars Ken Griffey and Sammy Sosa. Pop superstar Ricky Martin appears in the Latin version of the campaign. Other celebrities who have been in the campaign include Aretha Franklin, Marlon Brando, Isaac Hayes and Jeff Gordon.

Pepsi-Cola Company (www.pepsi.com), headquartered in Purchase, N.Y., is the global beverage division of PepsiCo, Inc. (www.pepsico.com). Its brands in the United States include Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi ONE, Mountain Dew, Mug, Slice, Wild Cherry Pepsi, Aquafina, All Sport Body Quencher and FruitWorks. The company also makes and markets ready-to-drink iced teas and coffees, respectively, via joint ventures with Lipton and Starbucks.

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