If you're a Pepsi drinker you might think you're a connoisseur of the cola brand, but something you may have missed is that the world-renowned soft drink was originally called something far less catchy.
The fizzy thirst-quencher became known as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, but before that, it had a much less enticing name that most have never heard of.
That cold cup of Pepsi might not sound as appealing when you realize it used to just be called 'Brad's Drink'.
Pepsi was created by Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist from New Bern, North Carolina, back in the early 1890s.
Initially, Bradham concocted his beverage to aid in digestion, reflecting the common practice of the time where pharmacists created various remedies to cure people's ills. The drink’s connection to digestion is even reflected in its name, 'Pepsi,' derived from the Greek word for 'digestion'.
For a brief period, the drink was known as 'Brad's Drink,' a nod to its inventor. This name remained until Bradham, aiming for a title that highlighted the drink’s health benefits, renamed it to Pepsi-Cola in 1898.
This change was also influenced by the drink's ingredients, particularly the enzyme pepsin and kola nuts, as he had initially considered the name 'Pep Kola' after purchasing the rights from a competitor.
The evolution of Pepsi didn't stop at its name. In 1904, the slogan "Exhilarating, Invigorating, Aids Digestion" was introduced, underscoring its marketed health benefits.
This slogan represented a significant shift from its original presentation, adapting to the growing marketing needs of the time as Pepsi began to cement its place in the soft drink industry.
Fast forward to the present, and the Pepsi logo itself has undergone various tweaks, the latest in 2023. Reflecting on the power of brand recognition, PepsiCo’s design team noticed that many couldn’t recall the exact Pepsi logo but recognized the iconic red, blue, and white colors.
Mauro Porcini, PepsiCo’s first-ever Chief Design Officer, told CNN about the insight that led to embracing the logo's heritage while updating it to reflect the brand’s energy and confidence better.
As Todd Kaplan, Pepsi’s Chief Marketing Officer, mentioned, the aim was to reintroduce a logo that resonates with the brand's identity from the 1990s but with bold, confident text that aligns with modern aesthetics.
And while the tweaks to the logo might go largely unnoticed by the masses, people on social media are just discovering this little-known tidbit about Pepsi's humble beginnings as Brad's Drink, and it's safe to say it's blown some minds.
They tweeted: "Hello, I just learned that Pepsi was originally called 'Brad's Drink.' BRAD'S DRINK. I will only be referring to Pepsi this way from now on."
Others added: "We should go back to calling Pepsi 'Brad’s Drink," and: "i just learned that pepsi was originally called "brad's drink" so anyway i'm going to be reeling from that for a week or so."
So will you be ordering a nice, cold 'Brad's Drink' next time you're out?
