More news from the front lines of Cola Wars 2012 as PepsiCo announced that it has signed a 10-year deal with DineEquity to be the exclusive provider of most soft drinks for its Applebee’s and IHOP restaurants. DineEquity, which had been serving both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola products, ended a decades-long agreement with Coke and stated that the company reached more advantageous terms for its franchisees and a greater variety of beverage options by consolidating its business with PepsiCo.
The deal is part of a growing tit for tat battle between the cola giants. Late last year, PepsiCo signed a exclusive partnership with Papa John’s, which ended a 25 year relationship with Coke as the supplier of soft drinks to its pizza restaurants. Earlier this month, Coca-Cola countered the move by signing an exclusive multi-year agreement with Dunkin Brands, which ousted Pepsi products from the company’s Dunkin Donuts’ and Baskin-Robbins stores. PepsiCo swung right back with the announcement that the company signed a deal with Family Dollar to sell its beverages in its 7,100 stores across the U.S.
PepsiCo also announced today that the company has partnered with Twitter to present a series of exclusive “pop-up” concerts on the social networking site as part of its new “Live for Now” marketing campaign. The concerts will feature a number of major music artists and begin in early May.