Entertainment
 The Prince George Citizen — Friday, January 27,1989 — 37
     NEW YORK (AP) - PepsiCola Co. said this week it had signed pop star Madonna for a global ad campaign that industry watchers said would chart virgin waters by debuting a song in a ■»c television commercial.
     Pepsi — firing the latest volley n in the newly escalating marketing war with Coca-Cola Co. — also will sponsor a planned n world tour by the actress-singer later in 1989 after the release of b her first album in three years, ol Like A Prayer.
     The Madonna announcement comes on the heels of industry leader Coke’s new ad campaign aimed at pushing sales of Diet Coke past Pepsi, currently second in the market behind Coke
                      MADONNA AT CENTRE OF NEW COLA WARS
  Classic. That effort marks the first time a major diet soda has squared off directly against a leading sugared competitor.
    Earlier this month, Coke signed pop singer George Michael for a series of Diet Coke commercials, on top of a campaign already featuring hockey star Wayne Gretzky, model Elle Mac-Pherson and actor Don Johnson, a one-time Pepsi pitchman.
    “What’s obviously shaping up is George Michael and Diet Coke versus Madonna and sugar Pepsi,” said Coca Cola USA spokesman Anthony Tortorici. “Frankly, we like those odds.”
    Terms of the Madonna contract were not disclosed, but if history is any guide the deal with the brash singer of Like A Virgin and star of the movie Desperately Seeking Susan should be in the millions.
    The Madonna deal adds a new twist to the cola wars: using a commercial to debut a song aimed at a popular audience.
    Pepsi said the title track to Like A Prayer would be heard publically for the first time in a commercial to be aired in prime time early next month. The single is scheduled for release March 3, with the album to follow March 15, said Warner Bros, spokesman Bob Merlis,
    “I don’t recall anyone orchestrating the debut of a new record in a TV commercial,” said Ken Barnes, editor of Radio and Records, a music industry trade publication in Los Angeles. “It’s a new stage in the marriage between commerce and the arts.”