PepsiCo, Advertising and the Media

 

We've all seen it. The flashy adds, the catchy slogans, the highly paid and most recently popularized celebrity icon of the time.

When it comes to promoting their product, for many generations, Pepsi has been using a unique way of advertising their soft drink to it's consumers for years. There target? The younger generations who are more influenced by the latest and newest styles and of course by what is seen as popular and valued.

Throughout Pepsi's history, they have constantly been coming up with new ways in order to seem more appealing as a soft drink and to their customer who drink their product, as well as trying to be one step a head of the rest of the cola competition.

 Pepsi's long history of using the latest celebrity endorser didn't start with Michael Jackson, Tina Turner or Teri Garr. Pepsi's very first celebrity endorser was racer car driver  Barney Oldfield in 1909 who first appeared in newspaper adds with the slogan "A bully drink - refreshing, invigorating, a fine bracer for a race." Now this wasn't the very first celebrity to be known to helping a company sell a product, but it did pave the way in helping establish a type of selling point in which companies now use more and more.

From here, Pepsi would go from becoming just another cola brand to becoming one of the top leading soft drink companies and making it one of the most highly recognized celebrity endosers in the marketing business.

In 1975, Pepsi introduced the Pepsi Challenge marketing campaign where PepsiCo set up a blind tasting between Pepsi-Cola and rival Coca-Cola. During these blind taste tests the majority of participants picked Pepsi as the better tasting of the two soft drinks. PepsiCo took great advantage of the campaign with television commercials reporting the test results to the public.

So how does this relate to sociology?

As a society, we are in constant need of change and Pepsi has done that throughout its history whenever the company has felt outdated or their current star has lost their 15 minutes of fame in te media. The structures that buttress society and the values of private enterprise and private profit, corporate growth, and progress are constantly assumed and positively enforced.

Because everything is changing at such a rapid speed and especially that in today's markets, companies like Pepsi and Coke need to be constantly changing their images and slogans to be more appealing for the business markets. And because society is so interested in new and improved, we settle for it and want to acheieve that same high status. We want to feel a connection with those in which we idolize and by seeing someone like David Beckham or Beyonce drinking a Pepsi, it makes you believe that they are just the same kind of person you are. Taking it one sip at a time in a busy life.

 

 Pepsi's New $1. Million Dollar Logo

 Pepsi Slogans and their celebrity endorsers:

  • 1939: "Twice as Much for a Nickel"
  • 1950: "More Bounce to the Ounce"
  • 1950: "Any Weather is Pepsi Weather"
  • 1957: "The Light Refreshment"
  • 1958: "Be Sociable, Have a Pepsi"
  • 1961: "Now It's Pepsi for Those Who Think Young"
  • 1963: "Come Alive, You're in the Pepsi Generation".
  • 1967: "(Taste that beats the others cold) Pepsi Pours It On".
  • 1969: "You've Got a Lot to Live, and Pepsi's Got a Lot to Give"
  • 1975: "Have a Pepsi Day"
  • 1977: "Join the Pepsi People (Feeling Free)"
  • 1980: "Catch That Pepsi Spirit" David Lucas composer
  • 1981: "Pepsi's got your taste for life"
  • 1983: "Pepsi Now! Take the Challenge!"
  • 1984: "Pepsi. The Choice of a New Generation" (Commercial with Michael Jackson, featuring Pepsi version of Billie Jean)
  • 1986: "We've Got The Taste" (Commercial with Tina Turner)
  • 1990: "You got the right one Baby UH HUH" ( sung by Ray Charles for Diet Pepsi )
  • 1991: "Gotta Have It"/"Chill Out"
  • 1992: "Be YoungER, Have Fun, Drink Pepsi"
  • 1993: "Right Now"Van Halen Song for the Crystal Pepsi Ad
  • 1994: "Double Dutch Bus" Pepsi song sung by Brad Bentz.
  • 1995: "Nothing Else is a Pepsi"
  • 1996: "Pepsi:There's nothing official about it" (During the Wills World Cup(Cricket) held in India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka)
  • 1997: "GeneratioNext"." With the Spice Girls "
  • 1998: "Yeh Dil Mange More"(In Hindi/Urdu meaning "This heart wants more")(India/Pakistan)
  • 1999: "Ask for More"/"The Joy of Pepsi-Cola" (Commercial with Britney Spears/Commercial with Mary J. Blige)
  • 2000: "Aazadi dil ki" (In Hindi meaning "Freedom of the Heart")(India)
  • 2003: "It's the Cola"/"Dare for More" (100th Anniversary Commercial)
  • 2003: "Yeh Pyas Hai Badi"(In Hindi meaning "This thirst is too much")(India)
  • 2005: "Wild Thing"/"Ask For More" (With Jennifer Lopez & Beyoncé Knowles)
  • 2006: "Why You Doggin' Me"/"Taste the one that's forever young" Commercial featuring Mary J. Blige
  • 2007: "More Happy"/"Taste the once that's forever young" (Michael Alexander)
  • 2008: "Yeh hai Youngistaan Meri Jaan!" (India)
  • 2008: "Pepsi Stuff" Super Bowl Commercial (Justin Timberlake)
  • 2008: "Рepsi is #1" Тv commercial (Luke Rosin)
  • 2008: "Pepsify karo gai!" Commercial ( in Urdu meaning "Wanna Pepsify!") (Pakistan) (Featuring. Adnan Sami and Annie (Pakistani singer))