The Clash Of The Titans: Pepsi vs Coke Ads in the 50s & 60s

We have gathered an impressive collection of ads in what was The Clash Of The Titans: Pepsi vs. Coke Ads in the 50s & 60s. Now, as probably most of you know that is often remembered as the Golden Era of Advertisement.

In this article, you’ll have the opportunity to see the most important campaigns and prints from the two of the most fiercely competitors that we have seen so far in any industry whatsoever. In order to make it easy for you to analyse and see the difference between Pepsi and Coke’s ads, we have put them side by side, in a mirror style.

Pepsi and Coke in the 1950s

During the 1950s, Pepsi had three major campaigns: ‘More Bounce to the Ounce’, ‘The Light Refreshment’ and ‘The Sociables’. The first, although a dynamic and fairly good campaign, it was looking backwards, rather than forward. Whereas Coke was showing ads with people enjoying it as refreshment, Pepsi was still highlighting its good value for money.

Nevertheless, starting from 1954, Pepsi countered by saying that its drink is ‘The Modern Light Refreshment’. This was the first step in a series of marketing strategies that wanted to target youngsters. However, Coke took it to the next level in the following year; with the superbly done campaign ‘Almost everyone appreciates the best’. Furthermore, Coke entered in a selected club, being among the first companies to use photos, instead of drawings in their prints.

Yet, the ads that dominated 1959 and the first years of the 60s was Pepsi’s ‘The Sociable’s. This brilliantly done campaign pretended to somehow cure introverted people. The copyright said ‘Be sociable, Have a Pepsi’ and in 99% of the prints people where partying.

The 1960s

As Coke returned to its obsession for refreshment, Pepsi was working on three campaigns that have had an important long term impact on boosting its sales and catching-up with its rival. Thus, until Coke came up with the ‘Things go better with Coke’ campaign, Pepsi was already gaining an edge with ‘Now it’s Pepsi for those who think young’ and ‘Come Alive! You’re in the Pepsi Generation’. In an era where rock ‘n’ roll flourished and the baby boomers were coming of age, to target youngsters was a smart strategy! Now, enjoy, be inspired and if you will like this article, then please share it with your friends or community! Many thanks! Cheers!