Michael Jackson: When Pop Was King
LOS ANGELES - The death of Michael Jackson is likely to spark some flashbacks for those who remember when pop was king, and Jackson was the "King of Pop"--and a powerful pitchman for franchisor Pepsi.
Jackson had a huge impact on media, and on advertising. His Pepsi commercial was a sensation when it aired in 1983, and set the pattern for the Pepsi commercials becoming events in themselves, with significant media attention. The perspective of history may give a creepy aspect to the video of the young boy idolizing Jackson, but in 1983 it was a huge hit and a boon to Pepsi bottlers worldwide.
By 1989, Coke entered the fray with a George Michael commercial, but Pepsi still won out with a $5 Million (in 1989 dollars) commercial that was more famous for being pulled off the air after just two showings-- Madonna's Like A Prayer video sponsored by Pepsi.
The 1989 Pepsi commercial by Madonna was and remains revolutionary, but there is no doubt that it never would have been made if not for Michael Jackson's pathbreaking 1983 commercial. Twenty years later, it may be difficult for younger viewers to understand why the commercial was so scandalous, but much of the controversy involved not the commerical itself but the video, which was a commentary on racism and Christianity in America.
Regarding Mr. Jackson's passing, a Pepsi spokesperson told Blue MauMau, "His music helped us define a generation and, like everyone else, we're deeply saddened by his passing."
Certainly any retrospective of Michael Jackson must account for the less-savory aspects of his life. But from a franchise perspective, his place in franchise and advertising history is assured.
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Wonder why the Internet was slow and unresponsive yesterday? This is why.
The Wall Street Journal Digits blog calls yesterday "the day the Internet almost died." What caused the sudden cyber slowdown was the world racing to read the breaking news of Michael Jackson's death.
The online LA Times, one of the first newspapers to confirm Jackson's death, went blank from too much traffic.
Thanks to Paul Steinberg, pop star Michael Jackson's untimely death was published here and his franchise ties explained within just a short time of the actual event.
Well, the Wall Street Journal finally did a piece ($$) on the topic... 4 days after BMM.
That's not a newspaper, that's a history book.
USA Today has a book excerpt describing how the Pepsi ad was developed:
Paul Steinberg
Franchisee Attorney, New York City, Ph: 212-529-5400
Paul Steinberg, Franchisee Attorney, New York City, Ph: 212-529-5400
Air waves and media continue to be dominated by tributes to Michael Jackson. Here are highlights from his four decades in music. (This video is only visible to Internet users in the U.S. There may be a temporary black screen due to a delay in video streaming caused by high demand.)
These are sad times. The world mourns. The franchise industry has lost a marketing icon. So the Onion has a fitting couple of articles for the passing of the "King of Pop".
Here's what people on the street are saying.
Here's breaking news that Neverland Ranch investigators discover corpse of the real Michael Jackson
See Cartoons by Cartoon by Frederick Deligne - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com
As part of my ongoing effort to keep the Fishy One in tune with popular culture, I note the #169 ranked site on Alexa. This link is posted on Internet discussion boards when "flame wars" break out. The protocol is that when the flaming starts, a bystander posts this link:
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