PURCHASE, N.Y., Oct.19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepsi and the National Football League (NFL) today announced the expansion of the Pepsi NFL Anthems program, a national campaign that brings to life originally created anthems for seven NFL teams around the league. The latest world-renowned artists to be featured in the program include one of the generation's most influential artists, Lenny Kravitz, who penned "Like a Jet" for the team he grew up cheering for in New York, and America's Greatest Rock Band Aerosmith, staunch supporters of the New England Patriots, who have released an anthem titled "Legendary Child - Patriots Anthem."  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121019/NY96212 )

The new tracks are currently available for free download at www.PepsiAnthems.com, and join originally created anthems by Kid Rock (Detroit Lions), Kelly Clarkson (Dallas Cowboys), Ice Cube (Oakland Raiders) Travie McCoy (New York Giants), as well as a Wiz Khalifa remix of  "Black and Yellow" (Pittsburgh Steelers).

"This is a program the band and I were excited to get behind as it is a true representation of our allegiance to the New England Patriots and the city of Boston," said Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler. "There's something about the word legendary and the words New England Patriots that have an amazing ring to them. We're excited and proud to be part of that," added Joe Perry.

"Writing a custom song for my New York Jets is something I could only dream of growing up steps from Joe Namath in New York.  Rooting for him and the Jets fueled my passion for sports and song writing so this is a true honor for me," said Kravitz.

To further bring the Pepsi NFL Anthems program to life, Pepsi has created seven :30 spots that celebrate each of the original anthems, the fans' passion for their teams and a variety of authentic in-game footage. The advertising campaign will kick off on Sunday, October 21 when the New York Jets take on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. TV spots featuring the Aerosmith's "Legendary Child – Patriots Anthem," and Lenny Kravitz's "Like A Jet," whose respective anthems-inspired teams will face off against one another, will air during the game broadcast.

In addition to New York and Boston, ads featuring the other anthems will roll out in additional markets and air throughout the remainder of the NFL regular season.

"In an ongoing effort to amplify the intersection between sports and music, we are thrilled to add Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz as the newest Anthems artists," said Pepsi Director of Sports Marketing Todd Kaplan. "On top of that, the Jets and Patriots have a notorious rivalry, and we couldn't have picked a better matchup to debut our new songs and advertising campaign."

The Pepsi NFL Anthems program will continue to come to life across a breadth of channels, including broadcast, digital, retail and in-stadium activations.  Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo will join Matthew Stafford, DeMarco Murray, Darren McFadden, Victor Cruz and LaMarr Woodley as recognizable extensions to the campaign for their respective NFL franchises.

The Pepsi NFL Anthems program is an extension of Pepsi's "Live for Now" campaign, which looks to capture the excitement of the moment and deliver experiences and content that is current in pop culture. PepsiCo's relationship with the NFL is among the company's longest running and most successful sports sponsorships. PepsiCo recently signed on as the sponsor of the Super Bowl Halftime Show and will leverage its relationship with the NFL to connect with consumers throughout the season.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola - make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also, means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo