Holy promotional beverage, Batman!

Mountain Dew launches
first-ever global campaign with “The Dark Knight Rises.”

In preparation for what could be this summer’s biggest blockbuster, Mountain
Dew® announces that its partnership with Warner Bros.’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The
Dark Knight Rises,” which opens in theaters on July 20, is extending
beyond the United States through plans to engage Mountain Dew and Dark Knight fans
in nearly 20 countries as part of Mountain Dew’s first-ever global campaign.

“DEW fans in the U.S. and around the world have incredible passion for
the Dark Knight franchise. With DEW’s first-ever global campaign we are giving
fans the exclusive opportunity to experience Gotham City like never
before,” says Brad Jakeman, president, Global Beverages Group, PepsiCo. ”We
are excited about continuing to find unique and authentic ways to connect with
DEW fans and fuel the growth of the brand around the world.”

The latest installment in director Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of films
starring the caped crusader, “The Dark Knight Rises” is the much anticipated
conclusion to the most recent relaunch of Batman movies. It’s no surprise that a
partnership formed between PepsiCo’s second-largest brand (which generates more
than $5 billion in annual retail sales) and a superhero sequel, as history has
shown this genre of flicks to be unstoppable. Despite being released in 2008, “The
Dark Knight Rises’” prequel, “The Dark Knight,” held strong to one of the top
positions amongst lists of highest grossing U.S. box office hits, only to be recently
bumped back by Marvel’s “The Avengers.” Each film has been met by nearly
unbelievable impatience from fans, who began snapping up tickets for midnight
showings more than a month in advance. So how will those fans be able to stay
on the edge of their seats until the wee hours of the morning? With PepsiCo’s
“The Dark Knight Rises” promotional Mountain Dew flavor Mtn Dew Dark Berry, of
course. In addition to the limited-time-only flavor, Mountain Dew has a variety
of ways to captivate fans varying by market, including:

• More than
  800 million bottles and cans featuring on-pack campaign graphics
• In-store
  point-of-purchase retail displays in retailers
• Robust TV,
  cinema, radio and digital advertising to drive mass campaign awareness
• Digital
  access to exclusive, never before seen Dark Knight movie content
• Consumer
  engagement programs offering fans opportunities to collect gear and win
  prizes

Only time will tell if “The Dark Knight Rises” will swoop into this summer’s
(or year’s) highest grossing movie slot, but Mountain Dew’s invitation to fans
to “Go Inside Gotham City” can only aid the effort. Afterall, even The Dark
Knight needs a caffeine fix now and then.