Pepsi must have decided that the pr they would receive from giving these generous grants out would make up for lost attention from Super Bowl advertisements. Surprisingly, as an advertising major I see this as a welcome change. The Super Bowl has an incredible reach of audience, but 3/4 of the commercials fail to effectively communicate why product x will make someones life better. Toss in the fact that the commercials are beyond expensive and you’re playing a risky game by relying on the success of a few commercials for the visibility and interest in a company. It’s about time companies use PR to fully take advantage of free promotion, like Pepsi is, and that companies properly advertise in necessary circumstances. Props to Pepsi for noting this trend and getting on board before other prominent companies become copy cats.