Pepsi-Cola North America -- which signed singer Beyonce Knowles for
an early 2003 ad campaign last week -- has now tapped Spike DDB as its multicultural agency
of record, with the TV phase of that Beyonce effort to be its first project.
New York-based Spike DDB is the minority-owned agency founded by film
director Spike Lee and Omnicom Group's DDB Worldwide.
The review for Pepsi's multicultural account, estimated at $10 million, had
come down to Spike DDB, Chisholm-Mingo Group Inc. and GlobalHue.
The Pepsi announcement centered on the TV commercials due to feature Beyonce,
lead singer of the group Destiny's Child, but it added, "Spike DDB's new
arrangement with Pepsi may go beyond creating TV advertising to include
development of radio, print and Internet creative."
BBDO Worldwide is Pepsi's longtime general-market agency of record,
while Dieste Harmel & Partners in Dallas continues to handle Pepsi's Latino
advertising.
