We’ve covered – in some notable detail – the origins and ‘little known facts’ surrounding the genesis and rise of soda giant Coca Cola. Now it’s time to take a look behind the red, white and blue label. And reveal how Pepsi got its name…
Bradham’s Drug Store, New Bern, North Carolina, c. 1913.
Soda Fountain foremost. From humble beginnings…
I’ll bet you always just assumed – well, I did – that ‘Pepsi’ got its name more or less serendipitously. I’ve just naturally associated ‘Pepsi’ with the casual term ‘pep’. Meaning ‘energy’, ‘get-up-and-go’, ‘vitality’, and so on. But that wasn’t it, at all!
Something more clinical…
In fact, the beverage was called something else entirely when it first appeared. Like it’s arch com-petitor, Coke, Pepsi was created by a small-town pharmacist, named Caleb D. Bradham. He started serving it on a mix-to-order libation at his drug store in 1898. And he called it ‘Brad’s Drink’.
Sensing that fame and fortune were just around the corner, Bradham bought the name ‘Pep Kola’ from a local competitor. Only later was it changed again, to ‘Pepsi Cola’.
From its roots
Also like other famous beverages later to become stalwarts of the Soda Sector, Pepsi began its life as a digestive aid. Not a thirst quencher. Bradham was, after all, a pharmacist. But the drink quickly took off as a recreational brew.
Bradham the pharmacist finally named his fizzy beverage ‘Pepsi’ in homage to its roots. The drink, you’ll recall, was originally formulated as a digestive aid – to counteract the aggravations of stomach age – or, dyspepsia, as it was known around the turn of the last century. The latter clinical term was easily contracted to just ‘pepsi’ for marketing purposes. And an icon was born.
Over the decades…
Pepsi has positioned itself as a healthy, energizing beverage. And it’s always linked itself with the vigor of youth. (There’s that ‘Pep’ connection, again!) The brand came up with a strong of iconic slogans in the 1960s: ‘Now it’s Pepsi for Those Who Think Young‘. ‘Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi Generation!’. And, ‘You’ve Got a Lot to Live, and Pepsi’s Got a Lot to Give!’
In the 1980s, there was an even-sharper focus on the youth market: ‘Catch That Pepsi Spirit’. ‘The Look of a New Generation’. And, ‘A Generation Ahead’.
At the same time, Coke has solidly positioned itself as a family beverage. Something for all gener-ations to enjoy together. A tradition for older folks to pass down to the youngsters. Coke and Pepsi both have cultivated their own core demographics. And they have done so very successfully, not treading on the other’s feet too much.
Time for an update?
Is it time for a Pepsi image update? Maybe. We recently passed on to you the shocking news that Dr. Pepper had displaced Pepsi as the holder of second place in the eternal soda sweepstakes.
Industry observers speculate that the good Dr. had been sneaking up on the inside for some time in the race. One factor that allegedly powered Dr. Pepper past Pepsi was the fact that Pepsi and Coke have each been concentrating on the threat posed by the other in recent years. And failed to notice that Dr. Pepper was gaining on them both.
You can bet there are furious conversations taking place in the Pepsi penthouse. Late into the nights, and probably through the weekends, as well. What they may be planning, to revivify their grievously wounded brand, we don’t know. But look for something big, bright, new, and possibly less-narrowly focused when the ‘new Pepsi’ is unveiled… We can assume everything is on the table for discussion. Except that famous name!
~ Maggie J.