Editing Pepsi (section)

==History==
[[File:HMB Bern New Bern Caleb Bradham.jpg|thumb|The pharmacy of [[Caleb Bradham]], with a Pepsi dispenser]]
[[File:PepsiPlaque.jpg|thumb|A plaque at 256 Middle Street, New Bern, NC]]
Pepsi was first invented in 1893 as "Brad's Drink" by Caleb Bradham, who sold the drink at his drugstore in New Bern, North Carolina.<ref name="store">{{cite web|url=https://pepsistore.com/index.php/history-of-the-birthplace/|title=The History of the Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola|access-date=October 20, 2022|publisher=Pepsistore.com|archive-date=October 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020202701/https://pepsistore.com/index.php/history-of-the-birthplace/|url-status=live}}</ref>

It was renamed Pepsi-Cola in 1898, "Pepsi" because it was advertised to relieve [[dyspepsia]]<ref name="TompkinsBaughman1994">{{cite book|author1=Vincent Tompkins|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=73IOPUVwruUC|title=American Decades: 1900-1909|author2=Judith Baughman|author3=James W. Hipp|publisher=Gale Research|year=1994|isbn=978-0-8103-5722-8|quote=Pepsi derives its name from the ailment it was advertised to relieve: dyspepsia.|access-date=2020-09-12|archive-date=2023-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423105929/https://books.google.com/books?id=73IOPUVwruUC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="store" /><ref name="Donovan2013">{{cite book|author=Tristan Donovan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BTIFAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA72|title=Fizz: How Soda Shook Up the World|date=November 1, 2013|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=978-1-61374-725-4|pages=72|quote=The cola part of the name was an obvious nod to the cola flavor of the drink, while the word Pepsi referred to his goal of making an indigestion-easing beverage. Whether the word Pepsi came from the digestive enzyme pepsin or dyspepsia [...] or both isn't known.|access-date=September 12, 2020|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423105929/https://books.google.com/books?id=BTIFAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA72|url-status=live}}</ref> (indigestion) and "Cola" referring to the [[Cola|cola flavor]].<ref name="Donovan2013" /> Some have also suggested that "Pepsi" may have been a reference to the drink aiding digestion like the digestive enzyme [[pepsin]],<ref name="Stoddard2011">{{cite book|author=Stoddard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5BNjDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP15|title=Encyclopedia of Pepsi-Cola Collectibles|date=February 28, 2011|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-4402-2535-2|pages=15|access-date=September 12, 2020|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423105929/https://books.google.com/books?id=5BNjDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP15|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Donovan2013" /> but pepsin itself was never used as an ingredient to Pepsi-Cola.<ref name="store" />

The original recipe also included sugar and vanilla.<ref name="store" /> Bradham sought to create a fountain drink that was appealing and would aid in digestion and boost energy.<ref name="store"/>
[[File:Pepsi Cola logo 1902.svg|thumb|The original stylized Pepsi-Cola wordmark, used from 1898 until 1905]]
In 1903, Bradham moved the bottling of Pepsi from his drugstore to a rented warehouse. That year, Bradham sold 7,968 gallons of syrup. The next year, Pepsi was sold in six-ounce bottles, and sales increased to 19,848 gallons. In 1909, automobile race pioneer [[Barney Oldfield]] was the first celebrity to endorse Pepsi, describing it as "A bully drink...refreshing, invigorating, a fine bracer before a race." The advertising theme "Delicious and Healthful" was then used over the next two decades.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pepsi – FAQs|url=http://www.pepsiusa.com/faqs.php?section=highlights|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506010751/http://www.pepsiusa.com/faqs.php?section=highlights|archive-date=May 6, 2008|access-date=October 12, 2009|publisher=[[PepsiCo]]|quote=1909: Automobile racing pioneer Barney Oldfield becomes the first celebrity to endorse Pepsi when he appears in newspaper ads describing Pepsi: "A bully drink...refreshing, invigorating, a fine bracer before a race." The theme "Delicious and Healthful" appears and will be used intermittently over the next two decades.}}</ref>
[[File:Pepsi newspaper ad 1919.png|thumb|A 1919 newspaper ad for Pepsi-Cola]]

In 1923, the Pepsi-Cola Company entered bankruptcy—in large part due to financial losses incurred by speculating on the wildly fluctuating sugar prices as a result of [[World War I]]. Assets were sold and Roy C. Megargel bought the Pepsi trademark.<ref name=store/> Megargel was unsuccessful in efforts to find funding to revive the brand and soon Pepsi-Cola's assets were purchased by [[Charles Guth]], the president of [[Loft, Inc.]] Loft was a candy manufacturer with retail stores that contained soda fountains. He sought to replace [[Coca-Cola]] at his stores' fountains after [[The Coca-Cola Company]] refused to give him additional discounts on syrup. Guth then had Loft's chemists reformulate the Pepsi-Cola syrup formula.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://h2o.law.harvard.edu/collages/42028#p21|title=Guth v. Loft (Del. 1939) [Pepsi]|website=h2o.law.harvard.edu|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=May 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507072817/https://h2o.law.harvard.edu/collages/42028#p21|url-status=live}}</ref>
On three occasions between 1922 and 1933, the Coca-Cola Company was offered the opportunity to purchase the Pepsi-Cola Company, which it declined on each occasion.<ref>{{cite book|author=Mark Pendergrast|author-link=Mark Pendergrast|title=For God, Country and Coca-Cola|publisher=Basic Books|year=2000|pages=192–193|isbn=0-465-05468-4}}</ref>

===Growth in popularity===
During the [[Great Depression]], Pepsi gained popularity following the introduction in 1934 of a 12-ounce (355 mL) bottle. Prior to that, Pepsi and Coca-Cola sold their drinks in 6.5-ounce (192 mL) servings for about $0.05 a bottle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of the Coca-Cola Contour Bottle - News & Articles |url=https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/history/the-history-of-the-coca-cola-contour-bottle |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=www.coca-colacompany.com}}</ref> With a radio advertising campaign featuring the popular jingle "Nickel, Nickel" – first recorded by the [[Tune Twisters]] in 1940 – Pepsi encouraged price-conscious consumers to double the volume their nickels could purchase.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://baerpm.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/flashback-friday-nickel-nickel/|title=Flashback Friday- "Nickel Nickel"|last=Marketing|first=Baer Performance|date=July 1, 2011|website=Baer Performance Marketing|language=en|access-date=June 13, 2019|archive-date=February 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208052435/https://baerpm.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/flashback-friday-nickel-nickel/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://adage.com/article/news/pepsi-cola-advertising-years/65047|title=Pepsi-Cola Advertising Through the Years|date=July 20, 1998|website=adage.com|language=en|access-date=June 13, 2019|archive-date=September 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903150135/https://adage.com/article/news/pepsi-cola-advertising-years/65047|url-status=live}}</ref> The jingle is arranged in a way that loops, creating a never-ending tune:<blockquote>"Pepsi-Cola hits the spot / Twelve full ounces, that's a lot / Twice as much for a nickel, too / Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you."<ref name="alot">{{cite web|title=1939 Radio Commercial (Twice as Much for a Nickel)|url=http://www.oldradiofun.com/downloads/Commercials.19xx.xx.xx_Pepsi_Cola.mp3|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070615171027/http://www.oldradiofun.com/downloads/Commercials.19xx.xx.xx_Pepsi_Cola.mp3|archive-date=June 15, 2007|access-date=August 13, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref></blockquote>Coming at a time of economic crisis, the campaign succeeded in boosting Pepsi's status. From 1936 to 1938, Pepsi-Cola's profits doubled.<ref name="coke at home">Jones, Eleanor & Ritzmann, Florian. [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~class/coke/coke1.html "Coca-Cola at Home"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615154953/https://xroads.virginia.edu/~CLASS/coke/coke1.html |date=2021-06-15 }}. Retrieved June 17, 2006.</ref>

[[File:Pepsi Cola logo 1940.svg|thumb|The stylized Pepsi-Cola wordmark used from 1951 to 1971. It was reintroduced in 2014.]]
Pepsi's success under Charles Guth came while the Loft Candy business was faltering. Since he had initially used Loft's finances and facilities to establish the new Pepsi success, the near-bankrupt Loft Company sued Guth for possession of the Pepsi-Cola company. A long legal battle, ''[[Guth v. Loft]]'', then ensued, with the case reaching the [[Delaware Supreme Court]] and ultimately ending in a loss for Guth.

===Marketing===
[[File:Pepsi bi (1973).svg|alt=|thumb|The [[Pepsi Globe|Pepsi logo]] used from 1971 to 1986. From 1986 to 1991, the wordmark was typeset in [[Handel Gothic]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Pepsi Legacy Book|url=http://www.pepsi.com/PepsiLegacy_Book.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415011259/http://www.pepsi.com/PepsiLegacy_Book.pdf|archive-date=April 15, 2012|access-date=March 26, 2011}}</ref> This logo was used for [[Pepsi-Cola Made with Real Sugar|Pepsi Throwback]] until 2014.]]
[[File:PepsiOld.svg|thumb|The Pepsi globe and wordmark used from 1997 to 2003]]
[[File:Pepsi logo 2014.svg|thumb|The Pepsi globe and wordmark used from 2014 to 2023]]
[[File:Pepsi 2023.svg|thumb|The current Pepsi globe revealed in March 2023; officially launched on August 23 of that year.<ref name="USA-2023">{{cite news |last1=Snider |first1=Mike |title=Pepsi unveils new logo: See the updated branding ahead of iconic cola's 125th anniversary |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2023/03/28/new-pepsi-logo-cans/11535642002/ |access-date=28 March 2023 |work=USA Today |date=28 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Co. |first=Pepsi |title=New look. Same Pepsi 😌 Welcome to a new era 🥳 |url=https://twitter.com/pepsi/status/1694338681136386129 |access-date=2023-08-23 |website=Twitter |language=en}}</ref>]]
From the 1930s through the late 1950s, "[[Pepsi-Cola Hits The Spot]]" was the most commonly used slogan in the days of [[Golden Age of Radio|old-time radio]], [[Classical Hollywood cinema|classic motion pictures]] and [[Golden Age of Television|early days of television]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cross |first1=Mary |title=A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture |date=2002 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0313314810  |access-date=September 4, 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/centuryofamerica00cros/page/103/ |pages=103–105}}</ref> Its jingle (conceived in the days when Pepsi cost only five cents) was used in many different forms with different lyrics. With the rise of radio, Pepsi-Cola utilized the services of a young, up-and-coming actress named [[Polly Bergen]] to promote products, oftentimes, lending her singing talents to the classic "...Hits The Spot" jingle.

Film actress [[Joan Crawford]], after marrying Pepsi-Cola president [[Alfred N. Steele]] became a spokesperson for Pepsi, appearing in commercials, television specials, and televised [[Beauty pageant|beauty pageants]] on behalf of the company. Crawford also had images of the soft drink placed prominently in several of her later films. When Steele died in 1959, Crawford was appointed to the Board of Directors of Pepsi-Cola, a position she held until 1973, although she was not a board member of the larger PepsiCo, created in 1965.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://joancrawfordbest.com/latimespepsi.htm|title=LA Times: Joan Crawford Appointed to Pepsi Board|publisher=Joancrawfordbest.com|date=May 7, 1959|access-date=December 10, 2011|archive-date=March 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305183058/http://www.joancrawfordbest.com/latimespepsi.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Pepsi has been featured in several films, including ''[[Back to the Future Part II]]'' (1989), ''[[Home Alone]]'' (1990), ''[[Wayne's World (film)|Wayne's World]]'' (1992), ''[[Fight Club]]'' (1999), ''[[World War Z (film)|World War Z]]'' (2013), and in films directed by [[Spike Lee]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Bricken|first=Rob|date=March 7, 2013|url=http://io9.com/5989200/20-lies-back-to-the-future-ii-told-us-besides-the-hoverboard|title=20 Lies Back to the Future II Told Us (Besides the Hoverboard)|access-date=May 4, 2015|archive-date=November 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115141523/http://io9.com/5989200/20-lies-back-to-the-future-ii-told-us-besides-the-hoverboard|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Leigh|first=Stephen|date=September 15, 2011|title=The Worst Movie Product Placements Of All Time|url=http://whatculture.com/film/the-worst-movie-product-placements-of-all-time.php|url-status=live|access-date=May 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508181534/http://whatculture.com/film/the-worst-movie-product-placements-of-all-time.php|archive-date=May 8, 2015}}</ref>

Pepsi marketing has also been marred in controversy. In 1989, Pepsi commissioned a $5 million marketing campaign to coincide with the release of [[Madonna]]'s song "[[Like a Prayer (song)|Like a Prayer]]", but was cancelled following strong backlash regarding the religious themes in the song's music video.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1989-04-05 |title=Pepsi Cancels Madonna Ad |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/05/business/pepsi-cancels-madonna-ad.html |access-date=2023-02-14 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2017-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924233149/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/05/business/pepsi-cancels-madonna-ad.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1992, the [[Pepsi Number Fever]] marketing campaign in the [[Philippines]] accidentally distributed 800,000 winning bottle caps for a 1 million [[Philippine peso|peso]] grand prize, leading to riots and the deaths of five people.<ref name="seattletimes">{{cite news|last1=Drogin|first1=Bob|title=Pepsi-Cola Uncaps A Lottery Nightmare -- Bombings, Threats Follow Contest With Too Many Winners|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19930726/1712840/pepsi-cola-uncaps-a-lottery-nightmare|access-date=October 9, 2015|work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 26, 1993|archive-date=September 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907125830/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19930726&slug=1712840|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1996, PepsiCo launched the highly successful [[Pepsi Stuff]] marketing strategy.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|agency=Reuters|date=April 3, 1996|title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING;Pepsi Introduces a New LookFor Its International Markets|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/03/business/media-business-advertising-pepsi-introduces-new-lookfor-its-international.html|access-date=September 30, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128190642/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/03/business/media-business-advertising-pepsi-introduces-new-lookfor-its-international.html|url-status=live}}</ref> "Project Blue" was launched in several international markets outside the United States in April.<ref name=":1" /> The launch included extravagant publicity stunts, such as a Concorde airplane painted in blue colors (which was owned by [[Air France]]) and a banner on the [[Mir space station]]. The Project Blue design was first tested in the United States in June 1997, and was released that December in preparation for Pepsi's 100th anniversary.<ref>{{Cite web|last=UPI|title=Pepsi launches lavish 'blue' campaign|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/04/02/Pepsi-launches-lavish-blue-campaign/6584828421200/|access-date=September 30, 2020|date=1996-04-02|website=UPI|language=en|archive-date=2021-12-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225060845/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/04/02/Pepsi-launches-lavish-blue-campaign/6584828421200/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=1997-12-18 |title=Pepsi Wrapping Up Year With Blue Packaging |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-18-fi-65296-story.html |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127203410/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-18-fi-65296-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It was at this point, the logo began to be referred to as the Pepsi Globe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The evolution of Pepsi's logo design over 117 years |url=https://gorillastudio.co.uk/the-evolution-of-pepsis-logo-design-over-117-years/ |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=GorillaStudio |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130204244/https://gorillastudio.co.uk/the-evolution-of-pepsis-logo-design-over-117-years/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2008, Pepsi announced that it would redesign its logo and re-brand many of its products by early 2009. In 2009, Pepsi, [[Diet Pepsi]], and [[Pepsi Max]] began using all lower-case fonts for name brands. The brand's [[Pepsi Globe|blue and red globe trademark]] became a series of "smiles," with the central white band initially arcing at different angles depending on the product.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Edwards |first1=Jim |title=Pepsi's Nonsensical Logo Redesign Document: $1 Million for This? |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pepsis-nonsensical-logo-redesign-document-1-million-for-this/ |access-date=14 June 2021 |work=[[CBS News]] |date=February 10, 2009 |archive-date=23 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023084404/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pepsis-nonsensical-logo-redesign-document-1-million-for-this/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In March 2023, Pepsi unveiled a new logo expected to launch in North America in late-2023, and internationally in 2024 (including 2025 in Colombia). The logo is a modernization of the "vintage" Pepsi logo; accompanying branding elements will also shift from blue to black as their primary color.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Wiener-Bronner |first=Danielle |date=2023-03-28 |title=Pepsi has a new logo |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/28/business/pepsi-new-logo/index.html |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=2023-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328151614/https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/28/business/pepsi-new-logo/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |author1=Daniel Piper |date=2023-03-28 |title=Brilliant new Pepsi logo is more than just nostalgia |url=https://www.creativebloq.com/news/new-pepsi-logo |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=Creative Bloq |language=en |archive-date=2023-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329010607/https://www.creativebloq.com/news/new-pepsi-logo |url-status=live }}</ref>  

====Niche marketing====

[[Walter Staunton Mack Jr.|Walter Mack]] was named the new president of Pepsi-Cola and guided the company through the 1940s. Mack, who supported [[progressivism|progressive]] causes, noticed that the company's strategy of using advertising for a general audience either ignored African Americans or used ethnic stereotypes in portraying Blacks. Up until the 1940s, the full revenue potential of what was called "the Negro market" was largely ignored by [[Caucasian race|white]]-owned manufacturers in the U.S.<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB116831396726171042|title=How Pepsi Opened Door to Diversity|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=January 9, 2016|access-date=March 10, 2017|archive-date=February 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205030105/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB116831396726171042|url-status=live}}</ref> 

Mack realized that Black people were an untapped [[niche market]] and that Pepsi stood to gain market share by targeting its advertising directly towards them.<ref name="nytboyd">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/business/06boyd.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin|last=Martin|first=Douglas|date=May 6, 2007|title=Edward F. Boyd Dies at 92; Marketed Pepsi to Blacks.|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 5, 2007|archive-date=December 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214011657/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/business/06boyd.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin|url-status=live}}</ref> To this end, he hired Hennan Smith, an advertising executive "from the [[Negro]] newspaper field"<ref name="capparellreview">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/books/reviews/2007-01-22-pepsi-book_x.htm?csp=34|title=Pepsi's challenge in 1940s: Color barrier|work=[[USA Today]]|first=Michelle|last=Archer|date=January 22, 2007|access-date=May 7, 2007|archive-date=June 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610193625/http://www.usatoday.com/money/books/reviews/2007-01-22-pepsi-book_x.htm?csp=34|url-status=live}}</ref> to lead an all-black sales team, which had to be cut due to the onset of World War II.

[[File:Pepsi targeted ad 1940s.jpg|thumb|A 1940s advertisement specifically targeting African Americans, an untapped niche market that was largely ignored by white-owned manufacturers in the U.S. A young [[Ron Brown]] is the boy reaching for a bottle.]]
In 1947, Walter Mack resumed his efforts, hiring [[Edward F. Boyd]] to lead a twelve-man team. They came up with advertising portraying black Americans in a positive light, such as one with a smiling mother holding a six pack of Pepsi while her son (a young [[Ron Brown]], who grew up to be [[United States Secretary of Commerce|Secretary of Commerce]])<ref name="latboyd">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-05-me-boyd5-story.html|title=Edward Boyd, 92; Pepsi ad man broke color barriers|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Jocelyn Y.|last=Stewart|date=May 5, 2007|access-date=August 12, 2012|archive-date=October 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010203908/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/05/local/me-boyd5|url-status=live}}</ref> reaches up for one. Another ad campaign, titled "Leaders in Their Fields", profiled twenty prominent African Americans such as [[Nobel Peace Prize]] winner [[Ralph Bunche]] and photographer [[Gordon Parks]].

Boyd also led a sales team composed entirely of blacks around the country to promote Pepsi. [[Racial segregation]] and [[Jim Crow laws]] were still in place throughout much of the U.S.; Boyd's team faced a great deal of discrimination as a result,<ref name="capparellreview" /> from insults by Pepsi co-workers to threats by the [[Ku Klux Klan]].<ref name="latboyd" /> On the other hand, it was able to use its anti-racism stance as a selling point, attacking Coke's reluctance to hire blacks and support by the chairman of The Coca-Cola Company for segregationist [[governor of Georgia]] [[Herman Talmadge]].<ref name="nytboyd" /> As a result, Pepsi's market share as compared to Coca-Cola's shot up dramatically in the 1950s with African American soft-drink consumers three times more likely to purchase Pepsi over Coke.<ref>Brian D. Behnken, Gregory D. Smithers (2015). "Racism in American Popular Media: From Aunt Jemima to the Frito Bandito". p. 34. ABC-CLIO</ref> After the sales team visited [[Chicago]], Pepsi's share in the city overtook that of Coke for the first time.<ref name="nytboyd" />

Journalist Stephanie Capparell interviewed six men who were on the team in the late 1940s. The team members had a grueling schedule, working seven days a week, morning and night, for weeks on end. They visited [[Bottler (company)|bottlers]], churches, ladies groups, schools, college campuses, [[YMCA SCUBA Program|YMCAs]], community centers, insurance conventions, teacher and doctor conferences, and various civic organizations. They got famous jazzmen such as [[Duke Ellington]] and [[Lionel Hampton]] to promote Pepsi from the stage. No group was too small or too large to target for a promotion.<ref>Stephanie Capparell, "How Pepsi Opened Door to Diversity." ''CHANGE'' 63 (2007): 1-26 [http://www.comlabgames.com/45-870N/instructor/01_day/How_Pepsi_Opened_Door_to_Diversity.pdf online]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408033355/http://www.comlabgames.com/45-870N/instructor/01_day/How_Pepsi_Opened_Door_to_Diversity.pdf |date=April 8, 2016 }}.</ref>

Pepsi advertisements avoided the stereotypical images common in the major media that depicted [[Aunt Jemima]]s and [[Uncle Ben's|Uncle Bens]], whose role was to draw a smile from white customers. Instead, it portrayed black customers as self-confident [[Middle class|middle-class]] citizens who showed very good taste in their soft drinks. They were economical too, as Pepsi bottles were twice the size.<ref>Stephanie Capparell, ''The Real Pepsi Challenge: The Inspirational Story of Breaking the Color Barrier in American Business'' (2007).</ref>

This focus on the market for black people caused some consternation within the company and among its affiliates. It did not want to seem focused on black customers for fear white customers would be pushed away.<ref name="nytboyd" /> In a national meeting, Mack tried to assuage the 500 bottlers in attendance by pandering to them, saying "We don't want it to become known as a [[nigger]] drink."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200702/20070227_boyd.html|first=Tavis|last=Smiley|author-link=Tavis Smiley|date=February 27, 2007|title=Edward Boyd|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]|format=interview|access-date=May 4, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929205458/http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200702/20070227_boyd.html|archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref> After Mack left the company in 1950, support for the black sales team faded and it was cut.<ref name="WSJ" />

Boyd was replaced in 1952 by [[Harvey C. Russell Jr.]], who was notable for his marketing campaigns towards black youth in [[New Orleans]]. These campaigns, held at locales attended largely by black children, would encourage children to collect Pepsi bottle caps, which they could then exchange for rewards. One example is Pepsi's 1954 "Pepsi Day at the Beach" event, where New Orleans children could ride rides at an amusement park in exchange for Pepsi bottle caps. By the end of the event, 125,000 bottle caps been collected. According to ''The Pepsi Cola World'', the New Orleans campaign was a success; once people's supply of bottle caps ran out, the only way they could get more was to buy more Pepsi.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Weems |first1=Robert E. Jr. |title=Desegregating the dollar: African American consumerism in the twentieth century |date=February 1998 |publisher=New York University Press |isbn=0-8147-9290-1 |pages=50–51}}</ref>

====Rivalry with Coca-Cola====
{{Main|Cola wars}}
According to Consumer Reports, in the 1970s, the rivalry continued to heat up the market. Pepsi conducted [[blind taste test]]s in stores, in what was called the "[[Pepsi Challenge]]". These tests suggested that more consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi to Coca-Cola. The sales of Pepsi started to climb, and Pepsi kicked off the "Challenge" across the nation. This became known as the "cola wars".

In 1985, [[The Coca-Cola Company]], amid much publicity, changed [[Coca-Cola formula|its formula]]. The theory has been advanced that [[New Coke]], as the reformulated drink came to be known, was invented specifically in response to the Pepsi Challenge. However, a consumer backlash led to Coca-Cola quickly reintroducing the original formula as "Coca-Cola Classic".

In 1989, [[Billy Joel]] mentioned the rivalry between the two companies in the song "[[We Didn't Start the Fire]]". The line "Rock & Roller Cola Wars" refers to Pepsi and Coke's usage of various musicians in advertising campaigns. Coke used [[Paula Abdul]], while Pepsi used [[Michael Jackson]]. Both companies then competed to get other musicians to advertise its beverages.

According to ''[[Beverage Digest]]''{{'}}s 2008 report on carbonated soft drinks, PepsiCo's U.S. market share is 30.8 percent, while The Coca-Cola Company's is 42.7 percent.<ref>[http://www.beverage-digest.com/pdf/top-10_2009.pdf "Special Issue: Top-10 CSD Results for 2008"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419085508/http://www.beverage-digest.com/pdf/top-10_2009.pdf |date=April 19, 2009 }}, ''Beverage Digest'', March 30, 2009 (PDF)</ref> Coca-Cola outsells Pepsi in most parts of the U.S., notable exceptions being central [[Appalachia]], [[Montana]], [[North Dakota]], and [[Utah]]. In the city of [[Buffalo, New York]], Pepsi outsells Coca-Cola by a two-to-one margin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rivals4ever.com/history-of-Pepsi-vs-Coke-Rivalry-5-3.htm|title=History of Pepsi vs. Coke Rivalry at Rivals4Ever|publisher=Rivals4ever.com|access-date=December 10, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127094359/http://rivals4ever.com/history-of-Pepsi-vs-Coke-Rivalry-5-3.htm|archive-date=November 27, 2011}}</ref> As of 2024, Pepsi had fallen behind [[Coca-Cola]] and [[Dr Pepper]] as the third most popular soft drink in the United States, losing its second place spot to the aforementioned Dr Pepper, a position it had held since 1985.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://people.com/dr-pepper-passes-pepsi-as-the-second-favorite-soda-brand-in-the-u-s-8657892 | title=Dr Pepper Passes Pepsi as the Second Favorite Soda Brand in the U.S. }}</ref>

Overall, Coca-Cola continues to outsell Pepsi in almost all areas of the world. However, exceptions include: [[Oman]], [[India]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Pakistan]], the [[Dominican Republic]], [[Guatemala]], the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian provinces]] of [[Quebec]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador]], [[Prince Edward Island]], [[Nova Scotia]] and [[New Brunswick]].<ref>[http://www.strategymag.com/articles/magazine/20041015/vive.html Vive la difference] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927025142/http://www.strategymag.com/articles/magazine/20041015/vive.html |date=2007-09-27 }}, ''Strategy Magazine'', October 2004</ref>

Pepsi had long been the drink of [[French-Canadian]]s, and it continues to hold its dominance by relying on local [[French-speaking Quebecer|Québécois]] celebrities (especially [[Claude Meunier]], of ''[[La Petite Vie]]'' fame) to sell its product.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cassies.ca/caselibrary/winners/PepsiMeunier.pdf|title=The Pepsi 'Meunier' Campaign|publisher=Canadian Advertising Success Stories (Cassies) Case Library|access-date=August 21, 2007|archive-date=September 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926065845/http://www.cassies.ca/caselibrary/winners/PepsiMeunier.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> PepsiCo introduced the Quebec slogan "here, it's Pepsi" ({{Lang|fr|Ici, c'est Pepsi}}) in response to Coca-Cola ads proclaiming "Around the world, it's Coke" ({{Lang|fr|Partout dans le monde, c'est Coke}}).

In [[India]], by most accounts, Coca-Cola was India's leading soft drink until 1977, when it left India because of the new foreign exchange laws which mandated majority shareholding in companies to be held by Indian shareholders; Coca-Cola was unwilling to dilute its stake in its Indian unit as required by the [[Foreign Exchange Regulation Act]], which would have forced them to share [[Coca-Cola formula|their formula]] with an entity in which it did not have majority shareholding.<ref>[http://www.mindfully.org/Water/2005/India-Coca-Cola-Pepsi14mar05.htm "India: Soft Drinks, Hard Cases"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060203085741/http://mindfully.org/Water/2005/India-Coca-Cola-Pepsi14mar05.htm |date=February 3, 2006 }}, ''The Water Dossier'', March 14, 2005</ref> In 1988, PepsiCo entered the Indian market by creating a joint venture with the [[government of Punjab, India|government of Punjab]]-owned Punjab Agro Industrial Corporation and Voltas India Limited. This joint venture marketed and sold Lehar Pepsi until 1991, when the use of foreign brands was allowed; PepsiCo promptly bought out its partners and ended the joint venture in 1994. In 1993, Coca-Cola returned to the Indian market in pursuance of India's [[liberalization]] policy.<ref>[http://www.mindfully.org/Water/2005/India-Coca-Cola-Pepsi14mar05.htm "India: Soft Drinks, Hard Cases"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060203085741/http://mindfully.org/Water/2005/India-Coca-Cola-Pepsi14mar05.htm |date=February 3, 2006 }}, ''The Water Dossier'', March 14, 2005</ref> As of 2012, Pepsi is the third most popular carbonated drink in India, with a 15% market share, behind [[Sprite (soft drink)|Sprite]] and [[Thums Up]]. In comparison, Coca-Cola is the fourth most popular carbonated drink, occupying a mere 8.8% of the Indian market share.<ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-06-26/the-top-5-sodas-in-india-by-market-share The top 5 sodas in India by market share, Euromonitor International via Bloomberg, June 26, 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121128080745/http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-06-26/the-top-5-sodas-in-india-by-market-share|date=November 28, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Classic Pepsi bottles in supermarket in Kyiv.JPG|thumb|Pepsi bottles in [[Soviet period]] style in supermarket in [[Kyiv, Ukraine]]]]

In [[Russia]], Pepsi initially had a larger market share than Coke, but it was undercut once the [[Cold War]] ended. In 1972, PepsiCo struck a barter agreement with the [[government of the Soviet Union]], in which PepsiCo was granted exportation and Western marketing rights to [[Stolichnaya]] vodka in exchange for importation and Soviet marketing of Pepsi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=267835&area=/insight/insight__economy__business/|title=Pepsi's comeback, Part II|access-date=July 21, 2007|author=Robert Laing|publisher=Mail & Guardian online|date=March 28, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215047/http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=267835&area=/insight/insight__economy__business/|archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060103044155/http://www.free-essays.us/dbase/b5/lvt48.shtml Coke Vs. Pepsi]}}. Free-Essays.us. Retrieved on February 4, 2012.</ref> This exchange led to Pepsi being the first foreign product sanctioned for sale in the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite web|title=PepsiCo Company History (1972)|url=http://www.pepsico.com/PEP_Company/History/index.cfm#|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051103000727/http://www.pepsico.com/PEP_Company/History/index.cfm|archive-date=November 3, 2005|access-date=July 21, 2007|publisher=PepsiCo, Inc}}</ref> Reminiscent of the way that Coca-Cola became a cultural icon and its global spread spawned words like "[[cocacolonization]]", Pepsi and its relation to the Soviet system turned it into an icon. In the early 1990s, the term "Pepsi-stroika" began appearing as a pun on "[[perestroika]]", the reform policy of the Soviet Union under [[Mikhail Gorbachev]].<ref name="Pepsi-Stroika">{{cite book |last1=Lempert |first1=David |title=Pepsi-Stroika: The Colonization of Russia; an Ethnography of Russian Legal Culture During the Perestroika Period |date=1992 |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n77IrQEACAAJ |volume=1 |access-date=2021-05-03 |archive-date=2023-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423105930/https://books.google.com/books?id=n77IrQEACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> Critics viewed the policy as an attempt to usher in Western products in deals there with the old elites; Pepsi, as one of the first American products in the Soviet Union, became a symbol of that relationship and the Soviet policy, reflected in Russian author [[Victor Pelevin]]'s book ''[[Generation "П"|Generation P]]''. In 1992, following the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], Coca-Cola was introduced to the [[Russian market]] and rapidly captured a significant market share due to public perceptions of Coca-Cola as representative of the new post-Soviet system (as opposed to Pepsi being exemplary of the old Soviet era), a market growth that might otherwise have required years to achieve. By July 2005, Coca-Cola enjoyed a market share of 19.4 percent, followed by Pepsi with 13 percent.<ref>[http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/12/30/041.html "Coke Versus Pepsi, Santa Versus Moroz"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210103301/http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/12/30/041.html |date=February 10, 2006 }}, ''The Moscow Times'', December 30, 2005</ref>

Pepsi was introduced in [[Romania]] in 1966, during the early liberalization policies of [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]], opening a factory at [[Constanța]] in 1967. This was done as a barter agreement similar to the one in the USSR, with [[Romanian wine]] serving as their bartered drink sold in the West. Pepsi quickly became popular in Romania, especially among young people, but due to the [[austerity]] measures imposed in the 1980s, it became scarce and difficult to find. After the fall of Soviet communism in 1991, PepsiCo entered the new Romanian market economy, and still maintains a bigger popularity than Coca-Cola, which was introduced in Romania in 1992, despite heavy competition during the 1990s (sometime between 2000 and 2005, Pepsi overtook Coca-Cola in sales in Romania).<ref>[https://www.wall-street.ro/articol/Companii/81826/Interviu-Cum-a-ajuns-Pepsi-in-Romania.html "Interviu: Cum a ajuns Pepsi in Romania"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806062345/https://www.wall-street.ro/articol/Companii/81826/Interviu-Cum-a-ajuns-Pepsi-in-Romania.html |date=2020-08-06 }}. Wall Street.</ref>

Pepsi did not sell soft drinks in [[Israel]] until 1991. Many Israelis and some [[American Jews|American Jewish]] organizations attributed Pepsi's previous reluctance to expand operations in Israel to fears of an [[Arab League boycott of Israel|Arab boycott]]. Pepsi, which has a large and lucrative business in the Arab world, denied the claims, stating that economic, rather than political, reasons kept it out of Israel.<ref>Tom Hundley [https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/05/19/israel-braces-for-new-conflict-the-soda-war/ Israel braces for new conflict: The soda war] . ''Chicago Tribune'', May 19, 1992</ref>

====Pepsiman====
{{about|the mascot of Pepsi|the game featuring the mascot|Pepsiman (video game)}}[[File:3 cosplayers of Pepsiman standing 20230527a.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Cosplayer]]s dressed as Pepsiman]]Pepsiman is an official Pepsi mascot from Pepsi's [[Japan]]ese corporate branch, created sometime around the mid-1990s.<ref>{{Cite web|last=LaPointe|first=Sarah|date=November 8, 2019|title=The Bizarre Untold History of Mountain Dew (And Other Popular Sodas)|url=https://www.obsev.com/food/facts-you-didnt-know-about-sodas/|access-date=September 30, 2020|website=Obsev|language=en-US|archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419102024/https://www.obsev.com/food/facts-you-didnt-know-about-sodas/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Pepsiman took on three different outfits, each one representing the current style of the Pepsi can in distribution.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-06-08 |title=Pepsi Co Marketing Case Study |url=https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/marketing-case-studypepsi-co/35630822 |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=SlideShare |language=en}}</ref> Twelve commercials were created featuring the character. His role in the advertisements is to appear with Pepsi to thirsty people or people craving soda.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ono|first=Yumiko|date=May 23, 1997|title=PepsiCo's 'American' Superhero In Japanese Ads Is Alien to U.S.|language=en-US|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB864346019512912500|access-date=September 30, 2020|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804155842/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB864346019512912500|url-status=live}}</ref> 

Pepsiman happens to appear at just the right time with the product. After delivering the beverage, sometimes Pepsiman would encounter a difficult and action-oriented situation which would result in injury. Pepsiman is mostly silent, and he has no face except for a hole that opens up whenever he delivers a Pepsi.<ref>{{cite web |title=No Corporate Mascot Will EVER Be as Bizarre as Pepsiman |date=1 Mar 2020 |author=Kiara Halls |website=CBR |url=https://www.cbr.com/weird-corporate-mascot-pepsiman/ |access-date=1 July 2021 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127134608/https://www.cbr.com/weird-corporate-mascot-pepsiman/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Another more minor mascot, Pepsiwoman, also featured in a few of her own commercials for [[Pepsi Twist]]; her appearance is basically a female Pepsiman wearing a lemon-shaped [[Balaclava (clothing)|balaclava]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Study of Sales Promotion of Pepsi |url=https://pdfcoffee.com/a-study-of-sales-promotion-of-pepsi-pdf-free.html |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=pdfcoffee.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 1994, [[Sega-AM2]] released the [[Sega Saturn]] version of its arcade fighting game ''[[Fighting Vipers]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bryant|first=Paul|date=November 21, 2012|title=Virtua Fighter 2, Sonic the Fighters and Fighting Vipers busting heads on XBLA, PSN next week|url=https://gaming-age.com/2012/11/virtua-fighter-2-sonic-the-fighters-and-fighting-vipers-busting-heads-on-xbla-psn-next-week/|access-date=September 30, 2020|website=Gaming Age|language=en-US|archive-date=January 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116184923/https://gaming-age.com/2012/11/virtua-fighter-2-sonic-the-fighters-and-fighting-vipers-busting-heads-on-xbla-psn-next-week/|url-status=live}}</ref> In this game, Pepsiman was included as a special character, with his specialty listed as being the ability to "quench one's thirst." He does not appear in any other version or sequel. 

In 1999, [[KID]] developed a [[video game]] for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] entitled ''[[Pepsiman (video game)|Pepsiman]]''. As the titular character, the player runs "on rails" (forced motion on a scrolling linear path), skateboards, rolls, and stumbles through various areas, avoiding dangers and collecting cans of Pepsi, all while trying to reach a thirsty person as in the commercials.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pepsiman: PlayStation's Strangest Moment?|url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/1999/03/10/pepsiman-playstations-strangest-moment|website=IGN|date=10 March 1999|access-date=8 December 2013|archive-date=23 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423105935/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/03/10/pepsiman-playstations-strangest-moment|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Mike Suszek|date=July 29, 2012|title=Stiq Figures, July 16–22: Pepsiman edition|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/29/stiq-figures-july-16-22-pepsiman-edition/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730225701/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/29/stiq-figures-july-16-22-pepsiman-edition/|archive-date=July 30, 2012|access-date=September 10, 2013|publisher=Joystiq}}</ref><ref name="Pepsiman gameplay video">{{cite web|title=Pepsiman gameplay video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGObX_F5F1A| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/uGObX_F5F1A| archive-date=2021-10-28|website=[[YouTube]]| date=8 August 2013 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Despite largely being considered a financial failure, Pepsiman has developed a [[cult following]] due to its over the top and nonsensical premise.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Phoon |first1=Andie |title=Essential Marketing Lessons to Take Away from Video Game Marketing |url=https://medianetic.me/essential-marketing-lessons-to-take-away-from-video-game-marketing/ |website=Mediantic |date=23 May 2022 |access-date=30 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bashir |first1=Dale |title=Remembering the PlayStation 1 Cult Classic Pepsiman and All Its Weirdness |url=https://sea.ign.com/playstation-5-2/169522/news/remembering-the-playstation-1-cult-classic-pepsiman-and-all-its-weirdness |website=IGN |date=8 March 2021 |access-date=30 October 2023}}</ref>