“Mtn Dew is thrilled to partner with WWE and its passionate fan base as we welcome back Mts Dew Pitch Black and introduce Mtn Dew Pitch Black Zero Sugar,” JP Bittencourt, Mtn Dew marketing VP, said in an email comment.
The integration will highlight not only Pitch Black’s return to stores but the return to the ring for Wyatt, who will be having his first televised match since rejoining the WWE in October.
“When [Pepsi] brought up that Pitch Black was coming back, our creative team thought, ‘Hey this might be a unique thing we could do with an actual match,’” Stimmel said. “It was a joint effort to highlight the brand in a unique way, and it was off to the races after that. … We’ve all seen these bad brand integrations where you kind of cringe and go ‘That didn’t really fit,’” Stimmel added. But he suggested the match will incorporate Pitch Black in "an authentic way" that "I think our fans will go nuts over."
WWE has previously partnered with brands such as Pure Life water in last year’s SummerSlam event. It has become a popular brand partner due to its audience’s size, its social media reach, and a “one-stop shop” approach that traditional sports lack, Stimmel said.
“When you think of other sports partnerships you’ll have to go to an agent to find a player, you have to go to a team, you have to go to a league. WWE is uniquely positioned in that we own all of the IP through and through,” Stimmel said.