Pepsico’s Thailand division has taken the music-as-product concept to its logical extreme by assembling its own house band, reports Shift (Sept. 1998). The Next is owned and operated by the cola giant, which controls all aspects of the band’s operation, from concert performances to song lyrics (“We are the world style / We are generation next / Our love is generation next”). The result of this transparent Pepsi promotional effort? The Next has become Thailand’s hottest pop group.
