Exclusive: Pepsi Names Emma Quigley First North American Head of Music
Pepsi has named Emma Quigley its first North American head of music, a new position for the beverage company.
Pepsi has named Emma Quigley its first North American head of music, a new position for the beverage company. Quigley most recently served as VP of global marketing at Capitol Music Group, having previously spent three years as VP-international of Capitol parent EMI Music and another four years prior as VP of global marketing for 19 Entertainment.
Emma Quigley, head of music for Pepsi
Quigley will be based out of Pepsi’s Purchase, N.Y. headquarters, reporting to Adam Harter, Pepsi’s vice president of consumer engagement. Part of Quigley’s role had been previously filled by Bozoma Saint John, Pepsi’s former cultural branding marketer who joined Beats Music as SVP of global marketing earlier this year.
Part of Quigley’s near-term goals for the role, she says, will be to focus on strengthening Pepsi’s relationships with emerging acts. Though the company’s flagship brand has tapped Nicki Minaj, Beyonce and Blake Shelton in recent years, the brand has been doubling down on working with the lesser-known Nico & Vinz, Sebastian Mikael and Mayaeni as part of its Pepsi Pulse Artist Spotlight Program.
“We’re really looking for new ways to collaborate with artists – to see how we can be part of their growth trajectory,” Quigley says. “That will probably involve lower-number investments at the beginning of a campaign, rather than waiting until they have multiple hits at radio. We’ll be unifying our strategy over the next few weeks and taking that to the labels and various partners.”
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Not that Pepsi will abandon working with big names — the brand will return as the sponsor of the NFL’s Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show in 2015, where Katy Perry is expected to perform, as sources recently confirmed to Billboard. Says Quigley of future partnerships, “Pepsi’s value has been recognized in its role with very powerful collaborations, and we need to continue that, whether it’s been Michael Jackson or Beyonce or South By Southwest. There’s a real hunger for knowledge on what the brand stands for.”
Adds Harter in a statement, “From concert and event partnerships to our iconic and emerging artist platforms, music has always been a major part of who we are at Pepsi. Emma’s strong background in this space and experience working with some of the biggest names in music will be instrumental in helping her lead the Pepsi Music program. We’re excited to welcome Emma to the team.”
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