JetBlue logo added to iconic Queens Pepsi sign \u2014 and New Yorkers are not happy about it
Drink it in, New Yorkers.
For the first time ever, the iconic Pepsi-Cola sign that sits along the East River in Queens — an official city landmark — has been changed to promote a new partnership that the soda company announced recently.
Residents are now graced with an image of an advertisement within an advertisement — with workers installing a temporary JetBlue logo on Tuesday beneath Pepsi’s red curlicue lettering.
The airline has switched from Coke to Pepsi for its drink service, announcing the move back in May.
City officials told the Wall Street Journal that its logo will remain tacked onto the Pepsi-Cola sign until Oct. 1 as part of a promotion announcing the new partnership. The news wasn’t going down easy for New Yorkers who spotted the change Tuesday.
“I really hate this,” wrote one Long Island City resident on Instagram, who snapped a pic of the sign while walking his dog.
“I cant believe Pepsi allowed that,” another person said, in response to a photo from a different person.
Some Queens residents were so taken back by the JetBlue ad that they contacted Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer — who represents Long Island City — and voiced their outrage.
“It’s a pretty significant change to a pretty visible, iconic sign,” he told the WSJ. “Even if it’s temporary, it shouldn’t be there.”
According to city officials, PepsiCo and JetBlue applied for a permit for the temporary installation back in July. It was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Aug. 14 — without any input from residents, the WSJ reports.
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A spokeswoman for the commission, who spoke to the paper, claimed the companies weren’t required to hold a hearing or notify community members since the change is temporary and won’t be up for more than 180 days.
“It doesn’t surprise me people are upset,” said Simeon Bankoff, the executive director of the Historic Districts Council, an advocacy group for city landmarks.
“It’s a pure visual form, and people have a very visceral reaction to it,” he told the WSJ. “It becomes part of their cityscape in a way that not even some buildings do.”
The sign, which was constructed in 1936, has stood atop the Pepsi bottling plant along the East River since 1940. It was made an official city landmark in 2016.
“Its prominent siting and its frequent appearances in pop culture have made it one of the most endearing and recognizable icons on the Queens waterfront,” said Meenakshi Srinivasan, the chairwoman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, in a statement announcing the designation.
Bankoff referred to the sign as “one of those landmarks that really captures people’s attention and hearts.” Residents and social media users agreed.
“Wow classic- corporations ruining my special relationship with other corporations,” wrote one person on Twitter.
“The planet is melting down,” said Sabina Omerhodzic, a mother-of-three who lives behind the Pepsi sign and spoke to the WSJ. “Our existence is in question.”
