Madonna had initially refused to dance and sing in the commercial, but later accepted after being introduced to choreographer Vince Paterson. Pepsi premiered the commercial during the global telecast of the 31st Grammy Awards in February 1989. A week later, the advertisement was aired during NBC's sitcom The Cosby Show, which was one of the most popular shows of that time. Titled "Make a Wish", the two-minute commercial portrayed Madonna going back in time to her childhood memories. It starts as the singer watches a video of her childhood birthday party. While reminiscing, she interchanges places with her young self. The young Madonna roams aimlessly around the grown-up Madonna's room, while the latter dances with her childhood friends on the street and inside a bar. The commercial continues as Madonna dances inside a church, surrounded by a choir and her child self discovering her old doll. As both of them are interchanged again, the grown-up Madonna looks towards the TV and says, "Go ahead, make a wish". Both the Madonnas raise their Pepsi cans to each other, and the young Madonna blows out the candles on her birthday cake. An estimated 250 million people around the world viewed the commercial, which was directed by Joe Pytka. Pepsi-Cola Company spokesman Todd MacKenzie said that the advertisement was planned to be aired simultaneously in Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. Bob Garfield from the Advertising Age observed that from "Turkey to El Salvador to anytown USA, around 500 million eyes [were] glued to the screen." Leslie Savan from The Village Voice noted that the commercial qualified as a "hymn to the global capabilities of the age of electronic reproductions; it celebrates the pan-cultural ambitions of both soda pop and pop star." Reception and protests The day after Madonna's Pepsi commercial was released, Madonna released the actual "Like a Prayer" music video on MTV. Christian groups worldwide including the Vatican condemned Pepsi's links with Madonna and called for a global boycott of Pepsi and its subsidiaries, including KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. While the "Like a Prayer" Pepsi commercial portrayed Madonna as a wholesome all-American girl, the treatment for her actual music video contrasted sharply with its provocative use of religious imagery. Pepsi explained the differences between their advertisement and Madonna's artistic opinions. Ultimately, Pepsi caved in to the protests from hardline Christian groups and cancelled the campaign. According to Taraborrelli, Pepsi