“MICHAEL JACKSON × PEPSI” (1987) – ORIGINAL JAPANESE B3 PROMOTIONAL ADVERTISING POSTER – “NEW GENERATION” CAMPAIGN / 非売品
Extremely Rare | Japan Promotional Display Poster | Bad Era / Pepsi Campaign | 36 × 51 cm (B3)
This is an original Japanese B3 promotional poster produced for Pepsi’s 1987 “New Generation” campaign starring Michael Jackson. Issued in Japan during the height of Jackson’s Bad era, the campaign coincided with the launch of the Bad World Tour, which began in Japan in 1987.
Historical Context: This campaign is famous for boosting Pepsi's sales in Japan by 100% just before the tour's start in Tokyo. It is one of the most successful celebrity partnerships in advertising history.
This poster captures one of the most recognisable celebrity advertising partnerships of the 1980s: Michael Jackson × Pepsi, presented through the bold visual language of neon signage, pop branding, and Japanese promotional copy. These B3-size Japanese promotional posters were not standard commercial music posters; they were produced for campaign display and distribution, making surviving examples especially desirable.
Japan-only promotional design & text
The poster features Michael Jackson in his iconic Bad-era look, wearing a black leather jacket with straps and buckles, set against a glowing neon PEPSI background. The lower banner carries the classic 1980s Pepsi logo and the red “New Generation” campaign branding.
The Japanese copy adds a dramatic local marketing voice:
感動の引き金をひけ。
“Pull the trigger of emotion.”
時代を変えよう。
“Let’s change the era.”
Together with the Pepsi branding, the text presents Jackson not simply as a performer, but as a symbol of youth, change, excitement, and global pop culture.
Pepsi, Michael Jackson, and 1980s advertising culture
Michael Jackson’s Pepsi campaigns are among the most famous celebrity advertising partnerships of the twentieth century. By 1987, Jackson was at the centre of global pop culture: Thriller had already transformed the music industry, and the Bad album and tour carried that momentum into a new visual era.
In Japan, the campaign had particular power. Jackson’s image was used across music, retail, beverage advertising, and tour-related promotion, creating a strong overlap between pop fandom and commercial display culture. This poster belongs directly to that moment.
About the B3 promotional format
Japanese B3 posters measure approximately 36 × 51 cm and were widely used for compact promotional display in shops, retail spaces, campaign environments, and transport-adjacent advertising contexts.
Unlike standard commercial posters, these campaign pieces were usually distributed for temporary use and were not sold to the public. Many were discarded after the promotion ended, making clean surviving examples increasingly difficult to find.
Why this example is special
This poster combines several highly collectible elements: Michael Jackson, Pepsi, the 1987 Bad era, Japanese promotional design, and the “New Generation” campaign.
The image is immediately recognisable, but the Japanese text and B3 format make this a particularly appealing example for collectors of Michael Jackson memorabilia, 1980s advertising, Japanese pop-culture ephemera, and vintage Pepsi material.
It is also visually very strong: bold, bright, simple, and unmistakably of its era.
Condition
Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
The poster presents beautifully, with vivid colour, clean image quality, and strong overall display impact. The reverse is blank and clean, with only light age-appropriate handling visible.
It is over 39 years old.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
A rare original Japanese B3 promotional poster from Michael Jackson’s 1987 Pepsi “New Generation” campaign — a standout survivor from the height of the Bad era and Japan’s golden age of celebrity advertising.
