Lebron James Leaves The Coca-Cola Company To Become Face of Mountain Dew Rise Energy

After giving it a lot of thought, Lebron James has decided to take his talents to Purchase, NY (PepsiCo Headquarters). Since his rookie year in 2003, Lebron James has had a sponsorship agreement with The Coca-Cola Company. You've seen him on countless Sprite and Powerade commercials throughout their deal together. That contract ended September of last year, effectively making the second highest paid athlete endorser a free agent. While Lebron James could have followed other celebrities, such as Dwayne "The Rock Johnson, into beverage entrepreneurship, he decided to sign an endorsement contract with PepsiCo to be the face of its new Mountain Dew energy drink sub-brand called Rise Energy. This move further sparks a feud between beverage portfolio giants that is now focused on the energy drinks category. What will The Coca-Cola Company do to respond to the recent PepsiCo moves in this beverage sub-category? We will explore that and more in this latest Consumed podcast episode.