PEPSI - Life in America

[Music] in the late 1800s a pharmacist named kayla bradham opened a small but friendly pharmacy in new bern north carolina bradham's pharmacy also had a soda fountain and it was a hub for locals to hang out customers would even pay a nickel to play the jukebox that played piano and violin selections it was in this social setting that bradham created what he called brad's drink in 1893. the drink was made from sugar water caramel lemon and cola nuts along with other ingredients and his customers loved it over the next few years the beverage caught on and bradham decided to give it a snappier name in 1898 he eventually settled on pepsi cola which referenced its use as a digestive aid [Music] by the summer of 1903 bradham had even trademarked the name and was selling his soda syrup to other pharmacies around the state of north carolina [Music] initially pepsi was marketed using the slogan exhilarating invigorating aids digestion but as the popularity grew and bottling franchises opened in other states pepsi began using the power of celebrity to sell their drink in 1913 pepsi hired barney oldfield a famous race car driver as their spokesperson he even became famous for his saying drink pepsi cola it will satisfy you [Music] by the time world war 1 began the success that pepsi cola had experienced came to a grinding halt sugar was rationed at this time and so bradham looked for sugar substitutes but they disappointed customers once the restrictions were lifted prices for sugar skyrocketed and it left pepsicola unable to afford the production of the drink in 1923 pepsi cola filed for bankruptcy and bradham returned to his pharmacy in new bern and continued working as a full-time druggist the company that he had built was bought by investors and it passed through the hands of multiple companies until it landed with the loft candy company in 1931. loft reformulated the drink and began selling it in 12 ounce bottles for just 5 cents this was double what coke offered and pepsi even used it as part of their advertising campaign twice as much for a nickel was turned into a radio jingle in 1939 called nickel nickel and it was the very first jingle to be broadcast coast to coast profits doubled by the end of the decade and pepsi was officially setting their sights on coca-cola [Music] [Music] radio and print advertising was the primary way that pepsicola was promoted up until television started appearing in homes in 1950 they began running television advertisements and as the baby boomer generation came of age pepsi started to speak to them directly coining the phrase the pepsi generation in 1962 pepsi shifted away from their bottle cap logo with a stripped lettering and started using a flat bottle cap with a sans-serif lettering in addition to the new logo the company also dropped the cola from the name officially becoming just pepsi in 1964 pepsi was the very first company to introduce a national diet soda they called diet pepsi the company also purchased the flavored soft drink mountain dew which has become a top seller for them [Music] during this same period hollywood actress joan crawford married her fourth husband alfred steele who just so happened to be the chairman of the board for pepsi following his death in 1959 crawford joined the board and became a figurehead in the company by making business decisions showing up for appearances and visiting various pepsi bottling plants joan crawford served on the board of pepsi up until 1973. in 1975 pepsi decided to really challenge coke's market dominance they called it the pepsi challenge and it was an advertising campaign that set out to prove to the world that their soda tasted better than cokes in malls and other high traffic pedestrian areas a passerby would be asked to do a blind taste test and according to pepsi people preferred their soda over coca-cola this head-to-head campaign would lead to the cola wars of the 1980s with pepsi riding high on becoming the number one cola drink sold in supermarkets pepsi's advertising efforts used high-profile celebrities like michael jackson and joe montana during the 80s to promote their brand and these efforts would lead to a disaster in 1985 for coke [Music] as coca-cola scrambled to counter the moves pepsi was making they announced they were changing their signature formula new coke was such a disaster that the company had to backtrack and reintroduce its classic formula and pepsi would proudly take credit for the misstep [Music] pepsi would have their own problems with new formulas in the 1990s crystal pepsi was introduced in 1992 and the clear soda failed to impress customers it too was quickly discontinued although pepsi would later re-release it for short periods as fans petitioned to bring it back the pepsi brand has diversified far beyond what caleb bradham could have ever imagined in addition to their classic cola pepsi now also owns gatorade 7up aquafina doritos and many other food and drink brands today the drink market is flooded with new and unique flavors but pepsi still remains on top whether you love pepsi or coke there is no denying the influence that pepsi has had on generations of americans if you're feeling nostalgic for pepsi you can also visit the hometown of pepsi in new bern north carolina where they are still serving pepsi at the pepsi store which sits in the exact spot where pepsi was born the store is part museum part souvenir store and part soda shop and the small space features a huge variety of all things pepsi so let me know in the comments if you have ever visited newburn and enjoyed an ice cold pepsi there if you enjoyed this video check out the description for links that help support the channel and as always thank you so much for watching

Channel: Recollection Road

Views: 36,494

Keywords: Recollection Road, nostalgia, memories, photos, history, closed, forgotten, business, past, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, memory, yesteryear, golden age, photo album, oldies, fifties, sixties, abandoned, 20th century, pepsi, coke, pepsi generation, pepsi challenge, crystal pepsi, new bern

Id: T7Cq_HpkqJw

Length: 8min 12sec (492 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 24 2022