Some 20 teen music downloaders nailed by RIAA lawyers will be featured in Pepsi’s Super Bowl ads, according to a USA Today report.
The spot will promote a Pepsi limited-time offer of up to 100 million free, legal downloads from the Apple’s online iTunes music store.
“We are still going to download music for free off the Internet,” announces one Pepsi-sipping teen. According to the report, agency BBDO persuaded band Green Day to record a cover of “I Fought the Law” for the spot.
“It’s all in good spirit,” Pepsi North America’s CMO Dave Burwick told USA Today. “This has been a huge cultural phenomenon. It’s highly relevant and topical for consumers. We’re turning people to buying music online vs. stealing it online.”
At least one teen appearing in the spot says she’ll use part of her fee to settle her debt with the RIAA. Nearly 1,000 lawsuits have been filed to date against P2P music downloaders by the recording industry association. About half the suits were filed this week.