PepsiCo Timeline

PepsiCo 20

1893 Brad's Drink invented Caleb Bradham's pharmacy, New Bern NC — 1893 Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist in New Bern, North Carolina, began experimenting with carbonated drink recipes in 1893. His most popular creation — a blend of carbonated water, sugar, vanilla, rare oils and kola nuts — became known among patrons as "Brad's Drink".
1898 Renamed Pepsi-Cola New name trademarked — August 28, 1898 On August 28, 1898, Caleb Bradham renamed his drink "Pepsi-Cola" — "Pepsi" from the digestive enzyme pepsin (and dyspepsia), "Cola" from the kola nuts in the recipe. The first Pepsi logo was also introduced. Bradham believed the drink aided digestion and boosted energy.
1902 Pepsi-Cola Company incorporated Formally incorporated in North Carolina — December 24, 1902 Caleb Bradham incorporated the Pepsi-Cola Company in North Carolina on December 24, 1902. He received the official trademark on June 16, 1903 and moved bottling operations from his drugstore to a rented warehouse. In the first year he sold 7,968 gallons of syrup.
1910 Pepsi reaches 24 states 280 bottlers operating across the US — 1910 By 1910 Pepsi-Cola had expanded to 280 bottlers in 24 US states, making it a genuinely national brand just twelve years after its naming. The rapid growth was driven by the franchise bottling model Bradham established.
1923 First Pepsi bankruptcy Sugar speculation ruins Bradham — May 31, 1923 Pepsi-Cola declared bankruptcy on May 31, 1923. Caleb Bradham had gambled heavily on sugar during WWI, buying large stocks anticipating rising prices. When sugar crashed from 28 cents to 2 cents per pound, the company collapsed. Assets were sold to a North Carolina concern for $30,000.
1931 Pepsi revived by Charles Guth Loft candy company acquires Pepsi — 1931 After a second bankruptcy in 1931, the Pepsi trademark was acquired by Charles Guth, president of Loft Inc., a candy company with retail soda fountains. Guth incorporated a new Delaware Pepsi-Cola Company and reformulated the drink, beginning its modern history.
1934 12-ounce bottle for 5 cents Double the size for the same price — 1934 In 1934 Pepsi began selling its drink in 12-ounce bottles for 5 cents — the same price Coca-Cola charged for 6.5 ounces. This "twice as much for a nickel" value proposition was irresistible to Depression-era Americans and sent sales skyrocketing nationally.
1940 "Nickel Nickel" jingle First advertising jingle on radio — 1940 In 1940 Pepsi introduced the "Nickel Nickel" jingle sung by the Tune Twisters — widely considered the first advertising jingle ever broadcast on national radio. The catchy song emphasised the value of getting 12 ounces of Pepsi for just five cents and became a pop culture phenomenon.
1961 "The Pepsi Generation" campaign Targets the Baby Boom generation — 1961 In 1961 Pepsi launched its "Pepsi Generation" advertising campaign, the first major soft drink campaign to explicitly target a generation of young consumers. The campaign defined Pepsi as the drink of youth and modernity — a positioning that would define the brand for decades and fuel the Cola Wars with Coca-Cola.
1964 Diet Pepsi launched First major diet cola — 1964 Pepsi launched Diet Pepsi in 1964, the first major diet cola from a leading brand. Also in 1964, Pepsi acquired the Mountain Dew brand. Both moves positioned the company as an innovator and significantly broadened its market reach beyond the core cola product.
1965 PepsiCo formed by Frito-Lay merger Beverages meet snacks — June 8, 1965 On June 8, 1965, Pepsi-Cola merged with Frito-Lay of Dallas, Texas, forming PepsiCo Inc. Herman Lay became chairman and Donald Kendall became CEO. The merger created a diversified food and beverage giant, coupling the world's best-known cola with America's leading snack brand.
1974 Pepsi first American brand in the USSR Cold War cola diplomacy — 1974 In 1974, Pepsi became the first American consumer product to be manufactured and sold in the Soviet Union, after a pioneering deal struck by PepsiCo CEO Donald Kendall with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the 1959 "Kitchen Debate" in Moscow finally bore fruit. Pepsi traded cola syrup for Stolichnaya vodka import rights.
1975 The Pepsi Challenge launched Blind taste tests ignite the Cola Wars — 1975 In 1975 Pepsi launched the Pepsi Challenge — blind taste tests conducted in shopping centres across America in which most consumers preferred Pepsi over Coca-Cola. The campaign was a marketing masterstroke that terrified Coca-Cola and directly led to the disastrous "New Coke" reformulation a decade later.
1984 Michael Jackson becomes Pepsi spokesperson "The Choice of a New Generation" — 1984 In 1984 Pepsi signed Michael Jackson — at the height of the Thriller era — for the "Choice of a New Generation" advertising campaign. It was the biggest celebrity endorsement deal in history at the time. During filming of a commercial in January 1984, pyrotechnics misfired and Jackson's hair caught fire.
1985 Coke blinks — New Coke launched and withdrawn Pepsi's greatest victory — 1985 In April 1985, Coca-Cola reformulated its recipe as "New Coke" in direct response to losing Pepsi Challenge blind tests. The backlash was catastrophic and Coke brought back its original formula as "Coca-Cola Classic" within 79 days. Pepsi celebrated with ads declaring it had "won the Cola Wars" — though Coke's return ultimately strengthened the rival brand.
1992 Crystal Pepsi launched Clear cola flops — December 1992 Crystal Pepsi, a clear caffeine-free cola, was launched nationally in December 1992 riding the "purity" and "New Age" trend. Initial sales were strong but consumers found the clear appearance confusing for a cola. It was discontinued in 1994 — one of the most famous product failures in beverage history.
1996 Project Blue — Pepsi goes all-blue Iconic rebrand launched globally — April 1996 In April 1996 Pepsi launched "Project Blue" — a global rebrand replacing the red, white and blue can with an all-blue design. The launch included a Concorde aircraft painted entirely blue and a banner attached to the Russian Mir space station. The redesign gave birth to the "Pepsi Globe" logo still used today.
2001 Britney Spears becomes Pepsi spokesperson "Joy of Pepsi" campaign — 2001 In 2001 Britney Spears — then the world's biggest pop star — became Pepsi's spokesperson for the "Joy of Pepsi" campaign. Her Super Bowl commercial became one of the most memorable in the event's history, cementing Pepsi's identity as the drink of the new generation.
2010 PepsiCo overtakes Coca-Cola in market cap Briefly largest beverage company — 2010 PepsiCo briefly surpassed The Coca-Cola Company in market capitalisation in 2010, driven by its diversified portfolio of snacks (Frito-Lay), juices (Tropicana), sports drinks (Gatorade) and water (Aquafina) alongside its cola brands. Total PepsiCo corporate revenues had already exceeded Coca-Cola's since the late 1970s.
2023 Pepsi 125th anniversary rebrand New logo marks 125 years — 2023 In 2023, marking 125 years since the Pepsi-Cola name was first used, PepsiCo unveiled a new logo — a bold modernised version of the classic globe design. It was the brand's first significant visual change in 14 years, and was accompanied by a refreshed visual identity across all products.