What happened?
The year is 1898 in New Bern, North Carolina, pharmacist Caleb Bradham is designing a drink that aimed to aid in digestion while boosting energy. Bradham named this drink Pepsi-Cola, which he produced and sold inside of his pharmacy. In 1903, Pepsi-Cola was granted its first trademark for the company logo (Stoddard, B). By 1910, Pepsi-Cola had franchises in 24 states, selling over 100,000 gallons of syrup per year (Bhasin,K.).
Unfortunately, due to World War one sugar rationing prices, Pepsi-Cola officially declared bankruptcy in 1923. Five years later Pepsi-Cola moved its headquarters to Virginia and went into bankruptcy for a second time in 1931. Charles G. Guth buys the Pepsi-Cola Company after their second bankruptcy. In 1933, Pepsi begins selling 12oz bottles for five cents (Bhasin,K.).
In 1939, Pepsi launches its first ever advertisement jingle called “Nickel, Nickel”, and in 1945 the corporation begins to sell Pepsi-Cola in cans. In 1958, Pepsi launches the “swirl” bottle and is now available in 120 countries. Just one year later, Pepsi launches their first youth focused ad campaign known as “The Sociables” (Bhasin,K.).
In 1964, Diet Pepsi is marketed and the company buys Mountain Dew from Tip Corporation. One year later, Pepsi merges with Frito Lay, Inc. forming PepsiCo, Inc. Doritos is introduced into the U.S. market in 1966 by PepsiCo (Bhasin,K). In 1977, PepsiCo enters the restaurant business by purchasing Pizza Hut. Throughout the 1980’s, commercial’s featuring musical superstars such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Ray Charles are the face of Pepsi’s image for a new generation campaign. During the 1990’s, Pepsi designs a new logo that is launched on Pepsi and Diet Pepsi packaging. In 1992, the GOTTA HAVE IT slogan is introduced in Pepsi’s advertisements, while supermodel Cindy Crawford introduces Pepsi’s new logo to the public (Stoddard, B).