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Coming To Montreal: The Diet Pepsi Grey Cup Halftime Show

October 10, 2008 - Canadian Football League (CFL) News Release


Montreal, QC - (October 10, 2008) - One of Canada's most youthful brands is joining forces with Canada's biggest sporting event to present the Diet Pepsi Grey Cup Halftime Show.

Building on a partnership that began five years ago, PepsiCo Canada and the Canadian Football League announced today an expansion of that partnership with the addition of a Diet Pepsi Halftime Show title sponsorship for the next three years.

"This is about building on the tremendous equity we have in the CFL to make the fan's Grey Cup experience even more enjoyable," said Dale Hooper, Vice President, Marketing, Pepsi-QTG Canada. "We're pumped to profile Diet Pepsi as title sponsor of the star-studded halftime show. This year's show is going to take halftime entertainment to a whole new level, and in true Diet Pepsi fashion, we like to play where others haven't played before. It's that kind of innovation that made us the number one diet cola in Canada."

CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon welcomed the agreement which builds on PepsiCo's long-standing sponsorship of the CFL through the Ruffles and Gatorade brands. "PepsiCo has an unparalleled track record of innovative brand activation through their sports and entertainment partnerships," Cohon said.

"Their brands like Diet Pepsi and Diet Pepsi Max embrace a youthful, energetic spirit. And halftime at Grey Cup is where so many of the things that embody that spirit, including sport and music, come together. The Grey Cup itself really captures their notion of 'Forever Young': it has been an integral part of Canadian culture for a century, but it's as exciting and vibrant as ever."

Diet Pepsi and the CFL will announce the acts for this year's Grey Cup halftime on Thanksgiving Monday, with the lead band scheduled to appear on TSN at halftime of the game between the Montreal Alouettes and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (kickoff is at 1 p.m. eastern).

"I'll give you a hint," Cohon said. "This is our league, something that brings Canadians together, and we believe this year's Grey Cup is an ideal time to celebrate some of our great, young Canadian artists."

The Grey Cup game, at Montreal's Olympic Stadium on November 23rd, will cap a year which has been highlighted by strong attendance, increased scoring, fewer penalties, and exciting finishes.

While overall television ratings for the CFL on TSN are up 10 per cent compared to this time last season, the number of viewers in the 18-34 demographic is up 30 per cent.

"Canadians have been rallying to our league, and at a challenging time for the economy, sponsors are turning to what's truly authentic, to what's tried and true, and promising and exciting, at the same time," Cohon said. "Nothing fits that description like the Grey Cup."

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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