NEW YORK: PepsiCo hired Ruder Finn as its retained PR agency for the Mountain Dew brand, following a competitive review.  

The one-round review, involving a handful of mid-sized, small, and large agencies, mainly with offices on the East Coast, began in late November.

“We've had growth, and there is a tremendous amount of great activities we want to act upon in 2011,” said Joe Jacuzzi, VP of product and brand communications for PepsiCo Americas Beverages.

Beginning in mid-October, Ruder Finn had worked with the billion-dollar brand ...