Michael Jackson Marketing – A Look Back
July 4, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Marketing
With the legendary entertainer Michael Jackson, it’s an interesting time to take a look back and see how companies utilized Michael Jackson’s fame to market their products. Not only did he take entertainment to a new level, Michael Jackson took celebrity marketing to a new level.
In the mid-1980s, Jackson signed a deal with Pepsi to market the soft drink. At the time, Pepsi was a distant second place in the industry to Coca-Cola. But thanks to Michael Jackson’s fame and the all-inclusive Pepsi marketing push, the soft drink company was able to catch up to Coca-Cola.
Jackson’s initial marketing deal with Pepsi was worth around $5 million. At the time, it was an unheard of amount to pay to a celebrity. Looking back on it, that amount looks like a bargain for Pepsi.
On the other hand, not all of Michael Jackson’s marketing was a success. He signed an extremely lucrative deal with LA Gear to market the shoe company. However, after negative reviews to their early advertisements, LA Gear pulled the plug.
Will Michael Jackson prove to be a powerful marketing posthumously? Only time will tell.
Michael Jackson (Image: Flickr)
That photo is not of Michael. You can see it in the eyes most of all.
It’s a wax figure of Michael from the museum.
justice for michael..
that is not him..