Purchase,  U.S.A. — Pepsi and the National Football League (NFL) announced on October 19, 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.”

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 fromJoe 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 MarketingTodd 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 andLaMarr 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.

Image Courtesy of  Rachel Petersen Photography

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Lenny Kravitz – GRAMMY award-winning singer-songwriter, record producer and actor—is using his voice and talent to do more than dazzle the stage and screen. He is throwing his support behind the global push by UNICEF and its partners to help save and improve the lives of millions of children and their families around the world by providing them with access to clean water and adequate sanitation.

“I was born in New York City and have always taken access to clean water as a given,” said Kravitz.  “No child should die of diarrhea from drinking dirty water. That thousands of children under the age of five continue to die every day because they lack clean water and basic sanitation is simply unacceptable.”

On March 6, UNICEF announced that the world has met the Millennium Development Goal for drinking water, with 89 percent of the global population now with access. However, that still leaves more than 780 million people, mainly in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, without access.  In addition, around 2.5 billion people—almost half the developing world’s population—lack access to improved sanitation. This all adds up to bad news for the children who are being left behind.

Kravitz will be appearing in Public Service Announcements and take to Twitter and Facebook with a message that all children can—and must—have access to clean water and adequate sanitation. Kravitz, who recently released the album ‘Black and White America’, and who will be starring in ‘The Hunger Games’ later this month, is joining forces with UNICEF to help mark World Water Day (March 22) and will send a global message of the importance of investing in children and providing them with clean water and sanitation.

In the United States, Kravitz will be lending his support for the UNICEF Tap Project by encouraging his fans and dining patrons across the country to pay $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free during World Water Week, March 19 – 25. With $1, UNICEF can provide a child with access to clean, safe water for 40 days, or 40 children with access to safe water for one day. Funds raised through the 2012 UNICEF Tap Project will provide children and families with clean drinking water in Viet Nam,Togo, Mauritania and Cameroon.

Poor sanitation, water and hygiene have serious repercussions on a child’s health, often causing diarrhea and other easily preventable diseases.  Children, particularly girls, often miss school, because they are responsible for gathering water for their families, which can require many hours of their time. In addition, many schools lack private and decent sanitation facilities for girls, causing them to drop out of school. Without safe water, sanitation, and good hygiene, sustainable development is difficult to achieve.

Since 1990, UNICEF, governments and partners, have helped more than 2 billion people gain access to improved water sources and 1.8 billion people gain access to improved sanitation facilities. The efforts include drilling wells and installing water pumps, helping communities build latrines and teaching lifesaving hygiene to schoolchildren and mothers, and providing safe water and sanitation to communities during emergencies.

Image Courtesy of   vilena makarica / Shutterstock.com

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