Always Hits the Spot!, Pepsi-Cola Vintage Signs Exhibit at the North Carolina History Center

"Brad's Drink" was created in 1898 by Caleb Bradham in New Bern, North Carolina, as a pharmaceutical drink for digestive woes. Flavorful and bubbly, the drink grew in popularity and soon became a household name across the United States - Pepsi-Cola, now simply Pepsi. Today it is an international brand and over its more than 125-year history, there have been numerous style changes, slogans and signs. From now until the end of August you can enjoy an exhibit of vintage Pepsi-Cola signs, Always Hits the Spot, at the North Carolina History Center. For many it will be a trip down memory lane. For others, it will be fun to see the many looks of this famous soft drink throughout the years as captured by the signs that helped build and advertise the brand. The signage, spanning decades and various Pepsi logos and slogans, comes from the Mitchell Slotnick Pepsi Collection. 

During the 20^th century, signage evolved from infancy to dominance in the field of advertising. The Pepsi-Cola signage on exhibit includes metal, 3-D plastic, die-cut cardboard and metal signs. Some signs are neon clocks, thermometers, calendars, or photographic images.

At this exhibit you’ll get to know Pepsi and Pete, the Pepsi-Cola cops. These two Keystone Cop-style characters debuted in the fall of 1939, and were featured in magazine and newspaper ads as well as a Sunday comic strip up until 1951. Pepsi and Pete made sure customers got a “BIG, BIG, bottle of a “GRAND TASTING” beverage.

Beginning in the late 1940s, Pepsi Cola broke color barriers in advertising and began to market to the rising African American middle class. Pepsi-Cola was one of the first corporations to recognize a multicultural, diverse society within their marketing campaigns. Signs from 1948 -1951 featured prominent African Americans as well as middle class families and individuals enjoying a bottle of Pepsi-Cola. Levonia Frazier, a New Bern resident, was Pepsi-Cola’s first Black model.

The Always Hits a Spot exhibit can be seen at the Duffy Exhibition Gallery at the North Carolina History Center, 529 S. Front Street, New Bern. It is free to view during operating hours from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.