Back in 1984, Pepsi released an unforgettable advertisement that perfectly captured the essence of the era. Do you remember it?
The commercial, known as the Pepsi Generation ad, starts with a young boy dressed like Michael Jackson, showing off his dance moves on the street with his friends.
He’s got the confidence and style down pat. Suddenly, he bumps into the real Michael Jackson, who is there with the Jackson 5.
What follows is a spontaneous dance-off, with both groups grooving together to the iconic tune of “Billie Jean.”
Check it out in the video below:
In 1984, Pepsi transformed its marketing strategy with the “The Choice of a New Generation” campaign. At the time, Michael Jackson was at the peak of his fame, having just released his immensely successful album, Thriller, which went Platinum 34 times.
The megastar re-recorded “Billie Jean” with new lyrics for Pepsi, creating a landmark ad that set a high bar for celebrity brand partnerships. Pepsi paid Jackson $5 million for the deal.
For the commercial, Pepsi brought in Bob Giraldi, the director behind Jackson’s “Beat It” video. Jackson’s newly recorded version of “Billie Jean” was featured in the ad.
The boy in the commercial, dressed like Jackson, was Alfonso Ribeiro, who would later gain fame as Carlton Banks on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” On the show, Ribeiro’s character often imitated Jackson’s iconic dance moves in several classic scenes.