Pepsi, For Those Who Think Young – June 1963

Do you prefer Coke – or Pepsi? (Or maybe even RC Cola?)

While I was growing up in the 1960s and 70s, Pepsi was the cola you'd find in the Brady refrigerator, although we only drank it on weekends, usually with our Yala's pizza on Friday night. 

I still prefer Pepsi to Coke to this very day. Admittedly, I have a sweet tooth – and Pepsi Cola Made with Real Sugar is like the Nectar of the Gods to me. Yessir, addiction is a terrible thing.

So why did Mom buy Pepsi in the first place? Unlike ads for Hill Brothers Coffee and the Oldsmobile Cutlass, I don't think the Pepsi advertisement below influenced her. It ran in the Lorain Journal back on June 27, 1963.

Even sixty years ago, soft drinks like Pepsi were positioning themselves as something that was part of a youthful lifestyle. 

Here's a little better look at the Pepsi ad. This trade magazine version of it happens to be on eBay right now.

And here's a full-page 1963 magazine ad fresh from eBay with the same theme. Those might be the same models (they're in the same swimsuits, either way).

It seems that right about then in the 1960s, Pepsi decided to become the soft drink for the beach crowd – and continued that theme for a while. Here's a commercial from 1967.

And here's an accompanying print ad.

Anyways, beach babes or not, it seems that Pepsi has never been able to catch up with Coke in sales, despite the Brady family's loyal support in Lorain. But what's interesting is that later this year, Pepsi will return to its roots and revise its logo to restore more of a classic look in honor of the brand's 125th anniversary. Here's the fizzy lowdown on the food network.com website.

I like the logo a lot. And I'll continue my unwavering support of Pepsi with Real Sugar.

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I wrote about some of my Pepsi memories back here.