Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Pepsi Generation

Don't forget to visit b.vikki vintage on Etsy!

There were so many disparate movements at work in the 1960s, all converging to define what we now know to be the culture of the era: The youth movement, the hippies, the Civil Rights movement, mod fashions, and of course the dominant culture of the decade fought to preserve the status quo.

Pepsi was obviously a progressive company at the time and knew to appeal to both the teen/youth and Black demographics.




The two ads below were jarring to find. The blocking is nearly IDENTICAL; the ads were probably shot on the same day with the white models and black models shooting one right after the other. That practice is not unheard of (clip in the preceding link from the 1970 movie The Phynx). It's why today there are McDonald's commercials for every target market today.


The two ads above both ran in 1965 - the African-American version in Ebony magazine and the other in more mainstreamed publications.




In either set of ads, it's easy to tell that Pepsi was playing to younger potential customers and selling a lifestyle along with their product. The buttoned-up conservatism of the 1950s was on the way out and the free-wheeling 1960s dictated the way corporations marketed to consumers.

Here are a few Pepsi Generation television commercials from the mid and late 1960s to take a gander at:






And this hilarious article from 1965 demonstrates the pejorative use of the term "Pepsi Generation" as a tongue-in-cheek way to describe restless and delinquent youths.


Click HERE to enlarge.


Don't forget to visit b.vikki vintage on Etsy!

15 comments:

  1. I'm first..!!!!!!

    cool.....
    visit this link ,please!!!
    Culture of INdonesia

    thanksss friend....

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  2. Great feel to your blog....well done.

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  3. It's a effort to gather all this vintage, great work!
    Happy Thanks Giving!

    Blessing,

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  4. Awesome blog - I have to thank you for introducing me to Etsy.

    YOu may appreciate my friend Tanya's blog - she looks at vintage adverts from British magazines too.
    http://www.gypsycreams.org/

    Sefi x

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  5. VIP and cool ...
    is me http://tenowowi.blogspot.com/ All in one

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  6. Really interesting post, thanks! I love watching vintage commercials on YouTube and seeing how they depict the "lifestyle" of the day.

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  7. Congratulations on being 'Blog of Note'. I enjoyed my visit here...brought back some nice memories :o)
    Well done, you.

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  8. gostei muito desse blog.
    visitem também o meu blog: www.assembleiacristanobrasil1.blogspot.com

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  9. I found your pespi campaign interesting, the intense research behind it makes the advert freshh and original. I'm a art student who is looking to purse a future in graphic and branding design I would appreciate it if you could check out my blog and the projects I am doing just to get an opinion from someone in a similar industry. (runyah.blogspot.com)

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  10. Hey, great blog you have here. We invite you to list it in our Blog Directory

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  11. nice post on "Pepsi Generation to Generation"; interesting collection of photographs and youtube clips.

    keep it up.

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  12. Hey Rebecca,

    What you've assembled here is a treat to read! Thanks. I could rummage round here all day. Great imagery and commentary!

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  13. Boyd also led a sales team composed entirely of blacks around the country to promote Pepsi. this video show us the beginning of this strategy!22dd
    I really like papsi, I prefer it than coca-cola!

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  14. such a vintage collection of Pepsi posters. nice that you still have some copies.

    Sig: Andrew | hospital medical equipment

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