Diet Pepsi Launches Ray Charles “you Got The Right One Baby, Uh-huh!” Retro T-shirt Collection

July 8, 2011 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, CA- July 7, 2011- Pepsi, a consistent frontrunner in creating instant commercial classics and iconic pop culture campaigns, brings back the memorable Diet Pepsi and Ray Charles’ ads for “You Got the Right One Baby, Uh-Huh!” with a line of retro t-shirts.  The recent collaboration was brokered through The Joester Loria Group, Pepsi’s exclusive licensing agency for North America and Act III Licensing in conjunction with the Ray Charles marketing group, the licensing agency for The Ray Charles Foundation.  The collection, designed by licensee Ripple Junction features imagery of the late music legend, Ray Charles and is representative of the award winning advertising campaign.  Launched in the early 1990’s, the “You Got The Right One Baby” campaign, featuring 11 commercials over 3 years, put Pepsi on the leading edge of pop culture.

“Mr. Charles stated that the Diet Pepsi campaign was one of the highlights of his career and that “You’ve Got The Right One Baby, Uh-Huh!” was one of his most popular songs,” said Valerie Ervin, president of the Ray Charles Foundation.

Current designs are authentic to the merchandise that originally launched in conjunction with the campaign in the early ‘90s and incorporates the Diet Pepsi logo, Ray Charles images, the “Uh-huh” girls and the iconic tagline.  The nostalgic appeal also aligns with the current Pepsi Throwback beverage line, which offers vintage Pepsi packaging from the ‘70s and ‘80s and a real sugar blast from the past taste.

Select t-shirt styles are currently available at Urban Outfitters retail locations and online, Kitson retail locations and online, and on Pepsi’s ecommerce shop (shop.pepsiusa.com) beginning in mid-July.  Retail prices range from $24.00-$38.00.  Kitson’s Robertson and Melrose locations in Los Angeles will feature an exclusive Pepsi Throwback window promotion for two weeks starting July 16th and for an additional two weeks at the Santa Monica location starting August 1st.

Pepsi has been making history for over 100 years with trendsetting advertisements and campaigns with worldwide appeal and were recently named one of the world’s most “Influential Brands” in Retail Merchandiser’s 50th Anniversary Supplement.  Memorable Pepsi commercials have debuted during Super Bowls, Academy Awards and Grammy’s telecasts for decades and have featured pop culture icons such as Michael Jackson, Cindy Crawford, Tina Turner, Lionel Ritchie, Britney Spears, and most recently, Sofia Vergara and David Beckham.

“Pepsi's ability to maintain youth appeal over the course of multiple generations has made it a true pop culture icon" said Joanne Loria, Executive Vice President of The Joester Loria Group, “Whether it’s connecting with the latest trends in music, sports, fashion or culture, Pepsi is always reinventing itself – remaining relevant and youthful— while staying true to its heritage."

As part of Ray’s 80th birthday celebration year, Diet Pepsi is pleased to revive the Ray Charles partnership with current product that represents the brand’s rich heritage and new generation appeal.  This is slated to be the first of a series of collaborations re-introduced into the marketplace through licensed merchandise.


About PepsiCo
PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.


About The Joester Loria Group

The Joester Loria Group, www.joesterloriagroup.com , is a full-service licensing and marketing agency providing its clients with a full array of services, including: strategic planning, competitive analysis, implementation of licensing strategy, management of publicity and advertising, and marketing for licensing programs. The Joester Loria Group represents Pepsi-Cola North America including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Aquafina , AMP and SoBe; Discovery Communications including Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, Discovery Expedition, the official outdoor lifestyle brand of Discovery Channel, Discovery Fit & Health and key series RiverMonsters, MythBusters, Shark Week and Deadliest Catch by series producer Original Productions; Dew Tour, the #1 action sporting event in North America; Pinkalicious, a leading girls’ property based on the NY Times best-selling book series written and illustrated by Victoria Kann; Coolabi’s preschool series, Poppy Cat, airing on Sprout; LazyTown, children’s entertainment brand dedicated to promoting health and well being, airing on Sprout; Annoying Orange, the #1 YouTube sensation; Johnsonville Sausage, premium sausage brand; Baked goods leader, Entenmann's; and top automotive publications from Hachette Filappacchi, Car and Driver and Road & Track and Hearst Corporation leading magazine Popular Mechanics.


About Act III Licensing
www.ActIIILicensing.com
Act III Licensing is a licensing and brand-building company representing brands, personalities and entertainment properties with the goal of enhancing and expanding brand awareness through high-quality products and creating lucrative new revenue streams.

About Ripple Junction
Ripple Junction is one of the largest wholesalers of licensed t-shirts in the world, selling millions of shirts through retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart, Macy’s, Kohl’s and Old Navy and holding licenses with top entertainment properties including Warner Bros., Fox, Universal Studios, Paramount, Proctor & Gamble, HBO, ABC, Viz Media and Cartoon Network. www.ripplejunction.com