Tasting Joy: The flavor isn’t always cola.

Pepsi has tapped its marketing alliance with Simon Property Group for an estimated $3 million, 29-mall tour tagged “The Joy of Cola.” To spur trial while building the image of brand Pepsi, the company will host entertainment, a Wheel of Fortune-style sweepstakes, and sampling of Pepsi and Pepsi One through November. The tour kicked off July 30 at Mall of America outside Minneapolis. Pepsi flew in U.K. pop star Billie to perform at the inaugural event.

Billie won’t visit all the malls, but Somers, NY-based Pepsi will schlep its enormous “Joy of Cola” kiosk from city to city. The “Joy of Tasting” station samples Pepsi Freezes and flavored Pepsi. Shoppers go to the “Joy of Voting” center to vote for their favorite pop-culture figures. At the “Joy of Winning” station, shoppers spin the Wheel of Joy to win prizes including a Dodge Durango, or enter a fantasy-prize sweeps.

Indianapolis-based Simon’s other 200-odd malls get a streamlined version of the tour. Throughout October, shoppers can vote at mall ballot boxes and enter the sweeps. Shoppers who carry Simon’s MallPerks loyalty card get a Pepsi Taste Kit with a coupon for a free two-liter bottle, drink recipe cards, and a Joy of Cola crazy straw. Mall signage and a center page in Simon’s S magazine support. TLP, Dallas, handles Pepsi promotions.

Ironically, not all the Pepsi tastes like Pepsi. The company brought VCI Beverage Center aboard the tour to sample Sergio Fine Flavoring Syrups. Consumers mix a tablespoon of syrup in 12 ounces of Pepsi. “Pepsi was looking for a different way to market its product, and they chose us,” says a spokeswoman for the Indianapolis-based company.

Here’s the second irony: Consumers can’t buy Sergio Syrups. The company is still planning its first consumer product introduction, and hopes the tour will foster some name recognition for the day it does come to market. Until now, most marketing has targeted distributors, with little trickling down to consumers. “We’ve never done anything as big as this,” the spokeswoman says.

Pepsi has. Malls played a crucial role when it introduced Pepsi One last October. Bottlers hosted sampling events at high-traffic spots including Simon properties.

Pepsi introduced the “Joy of Cola” ad theme in March to replace “GeneratioNext.” It first partnered with Simon’s marketing unit, Simon Brand Ventures, for mall-based promotions in 1996.