March 2, 1989 –
Like A Prayer becomes the first hit song to debut in a commercial when it is used in a 2-minute Pepsi ad starring Madonna.
The spot is called “Make A Wish,” and shows Madonna watching her 8-year-old self at her birthday party. The commercial airs in prime time around the world, the Pepsi people claimed that 250 million viewers saw the ad, and that they were clearly the choice of the younger generation, as their partnerships with Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and now Madonna, demonstrated.
Unfortunately (for Pepsi) the commercial is never broadcast again because the next day, the video is released, and in it, Madonna kisses a black man and dances in front of burning crosses – not what Pepsi had in mind.
The Haus of Dcaligari 