Many people are writing more about the drink in this section, rather than getting more into the corporate details. We all know the advantages and disadvantages of a fizzed drink. But I will not talk about it again. I don’t want to get into the health effects of soft drinks, or something like that. Here I will speak about Pepsi as a company, a brand and a product. I will take you through a journey of Pepsi’s birth and its efforts to reach the pinnacle of the world market.
So, let’s get on rolling!
The Birth
To face the exisiting giant, Coca Cola of John Pemberton, a new company called Pepsi-Cola raised its head. It was first founded by Caleb Bradham in the 1890’s.
Then came the emergence of the exisiting company called Pepsico, which was founded by Donald M. Kendall, president and chief executive officer of Pepsi-Cola and Herman W. Lay, chairman and chief executive officer of Frito-Lay, through the merger of the two companies. All this happens in the year 1965.
The new company is recording smashing sales. It is the birth of a giant whose aim is to be Number One.
The Products
Three products were released simultaneously. They are:
1) Pepsi Cola 1898
2) Diet Pepsi 1964
3) Mountain Dew 1965
4) Doritos Tortilla Chips 1966
5) FunYuns Snacks 1969
6) Sonrics 1985
7) Chee Tos Paws 1991
8) Aquafina 1995
Then came Frito Lay’s potato chips called Ruffles, cheese flavored snacks called Cheetos and pretzels called Rold Gold. Many of these brands have already hit the Indian Market.
All these products were introduced in the earlier part of Pepsi career. Many were introduced later, which we will cover in later sections.
The Growth
In 1966 Pepsi entered Japan and Eastern Europr. In 1970, Pepsi crossed the $1 billion mark with 36, 000 employees!
The two years of ’74 and ’75 saw Pepsi doubling the exisiting figures.
In 1982, Pepsi reaches China and begins operation. Then it goes to Mexico. They also start their operations in the Soviet Union.
In the year 1988, they have an agreement with India and start their operations.
In 1990, Pepsi is in the Fotune 500 list at number 23.
Pepsi’s profits alone crosses $1 billion in the year 1999. It is now a big company and a ruler in Soft Drinks industries. It is now a $20 billion company with more than 150, 000 employees worldwide!
The Mergers
Pepsi merging with several companies added to its growth. Let’s have a brief look at the mergers:
The order is Years, Company and Line of operations.
1965 - Frito Lay’s Inc - Snacks
1965 - Tip Corporation - Mountain Dew
1968 - North American Van Lines (NAVL) - Transportation
1970 - Wilson Sporting Goods - Sports Equipements
1977 - Pizza Hut - Pizzas
1998 - Tropicana - Natural Drinks
So, these were the major mergers in the career of Pepsi.
The Celebrities
There are many celebrities who have endorsed for Pepsi. Let’s have their names as well:
Michael Jackson
Lionel Richie
Tina Turner
Michael J. Fox
Miami Sound Machine
David Bowie
Jay Leno
Reba McEntire
Andre Agassi
Britney Spears
Shakira
And from our very own India:
Aamir Khan
Aishwarya Rai
Mahima Chaudhry
Kajol
Sachin Tendulkar
Rahul Dravid
Amitabh Bachchan
Fardeen Khan
Rahul Khanna
Yuvraj Singh
Zahir Khan
and many more.
The Slogans
Here I will talk about the slogans of only Pepsi cold drinks and not of its merged companies. These are the most famous slogans from USA and India:
1) ’’Taste that beats the others cold. Pepsi pours it on!’’ - 1967
2) ’’You’ve got a lot to live, Pepsi’s got a lot to give’’ - 1969
3) ’’Catch that Pepsi Spirit!’’ - 1979
4) ’’Pepsi’s got your taste for life!’’ - 1981
5) ’’You Got The Right One Baby, Uh-Huh!’’ - 1991
6) ’’Gotta Have It’’ - 1992
7) ’’Be Young - Have Fun - Drink Pepsi.’’ - 1993
8) ’’Nothing else is a Pepsi’’ - 1995
9) ’’Generation Next.’’ - 1997
10) ’’The Joy of Cola’’ - 1999
Now the Indian ones:
1) ’’Yehi hai right choice baby, Aha!’’
2) ’’Yeh Dil Maange More’’
3) ’’Nothing Official About It’’
The Market Capture
Pepsi was aimed at the teenagers of USA who were restricted to have alcoholic drinks. For them, Pepsi started the can version.
The drink also got famous because of its award-winning ads and the celebrities. Its attack on Coca-Cola was also beneficial.
It also started its environment care campaign by becoming the first company to recycle its packages! It has recyclable tins and aluminium foil, and also glass for its packages. It also uses recyclable Plastics!
Now it has captured the world, and also India.
So, you see Pepsi is a huge company with large turnover and profits. It is employing millions of people worldwide.
It is just a superb one!