How Pepsi 'paid $20MILLION for three-episode storyline about fictional Empire star making soda ad' - that will ALSO run in real life
- Pepsi began a three-episode storyline on Empire Wednesday night
- Lead character Jamal Lyon (played by Jussie Smollett) is preparing to star in a commercial for the brand on the show featuring his original song
- That commercial will premiere on the December 2 episode of the show and then become an actual TV spot for Pepsi, starring Smollett
- Smollett will become one of the few openly gay celebrities to be the face of a major American brand when the commercial premieres
- Empire was television's most watched original program its first season in the 18-49 demo and a 30-second ad during the program costs $500,000
- The first season finale drew in 23.1 million total viewers making it the highest rated freshman show in 10 years
Pepsi has managed to score a three-episode storyline on television's biggest show that will culminate with a real commercial for the brand.
On Wednesday night's episode of Empire on Fox, lead character Jamal Lyon (played by Jussie Smollett) was approached by the soft drink brand and offered the chance to star in their new TV spot, which would feature one of his songs.
At the end of the episode Jamal previewed his song for Pepsi executives and was told he had the job.
Now, the next two episodes of the show will focus on Jamal working on that TV spot and in the end feature the commercial, which will be the same exact one that starts airing for the brand across all networks.
The Wall Street Journal reports that though the terms of the deal have not been made public 'people familiar with the arrangement said the value of the pact approaches $20 million.'
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Innovation: Pepsi began a three-episode storyline on Empire Wednesday night
Commercial within the show: Lead character Jamal Lyon (played by Jussie Smollett) is preparing to star in a commercial for the brand on the show featuring his original song
It is an innovative, and no doubt pricey move for the brand, who Bloomberg Business points out spent $149million in advertising last year.
Empire - which was television's most watched original program in its first season in the all important 18-49 demo and has an astronomical presence on social media when new episodes air - currently charges $500,000 for a 30-second ad slot.
'You have a real brand anointing a fictional artist in a commercial directed by the creator of the series appearing as himself,' senior vice president for 20th Century Fox Television Steven Melnick told Bloomberg.
'It’s very meta.'
The spot will have its debut immediately after it airs on the December 2 episode of Empire, right before the show goes off the air for three months.
It was announced in August that Pepsi would be one of the official sponsors of the show's second season, and that there would be product integration, though there has never before been anything on this level to appear on a television program.
How much Pepsi paid is still not clear, but the brand has had no problem offering up pricey contracts in the past.
It was reported in 2012 that they paid Beyonce $50million to appear in commercials for the brand and headline the halftime show at Super Bowl XLVII.
The singer first signed with the brand in 2002 after they dropped Britney Spears as their face just one year after signing her to a $10million contract.
End product: That commercial will premiere on the December 2 episode of the show and then become an actual TV spot for Pepsi, starring Smollett
Big draw: Empire (star tarji P. Henson, creator Lee Daniels and Smollett in May) was television's most watched original program its first season in the 18-49 demo and a 30-second ad during the program costs $500,000
It is also huge for Smollett, already a breakout star thanks to his role on the show.
Relatively unknown before the show premiered in January, the 32-year-old is now the face of Sean John, signed a recording contract with Columbia Records and appeared in the music video for Mariah Carey's song Infinity.
The Pepsi commercial will now introduce him to an even bigger audience and mark one of the few times an openly gay celebrity has been the face of a major American brand.
He is not the only Empire star involved in the commercial either, which was filmed in Brooklyn in early November.
The spot is being directed by Lee Daniels, the show's creator and the man behind such films as The Butler and the Academy Award-winning Precious.
'There are three things that happen where you know you’re on your way,' Smollett told Bloomberg.
'Having a No. 1 album. Winning a Grammy. Doing a Pepsi commercial.'
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