It’s So Easy; a Child Can Choose It

The eternal battle between Pepsi and Coke has led to some really interesting advertising campaigns and some cool commercials. This battle has gone on for over a hundred years and many techniques have been used to boost one company over the other. Pepsi went through a period during the 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s when they used children in their advertisements. One of its most famous ads of that time employed that little girl, Hallie Kate Eisenberg talking like the Godfather to get her Pepsi. One of my favorite ads is the Pepsi commercial when a young Jimi Hendrix chooses to buy a Pepsi instead of a Coke and sees a Fender Stratocaster in a pawn shop window next to the Pepsi machine. Many Pepsi or Coke ads show someone choosing the one brand over the other to establish their superiority. In this ad with Jimi Hendrix, he has to choose between the machines. Although he looks from one to the other, the decision doesn’t seem to be too hard for him and he runs to the Pepsi machine. Pepsi uses children to show how much people enjoy drinking Pepsi and how simple the choice is to make by showcasing children’s innocence and how they act on uninfluenced desires. They also often use celebrities to influence people’s choice as well.



The ad starts off setting the stage in Seattle in the early 50’s with a little boy walking down the street eating a slice of pizza. We don’t find out until he sees the guitar that it’s Jimi Hendrix. This celebrity endorsement reaches out to influence kids and adults alike. Children see this kid who buys a cool guitar instead of a nerdy accordion and want to be like that kid. Adults see the future rock legend being brought to his destiny with a soft drink. Even though Jimi Hendrix is not actually in the commercial, this representation of him is just as powerful, if not more than, his actual self. The idea of fate is also brought into this commercial and it works hand-in-hand with the celebrity endorsement. It’s not only creating the desire to be like Jimi and buy Pepsi, but it’s creating the desire for fame, the desire to be called to greatness. As soon as they show the Srat, Purple Haze, one of his most famous songs, plays in the background and the voice-over tells you that, “Nothing sounds better than pizza and Pepsi.” It’s like he sees the guitar and has an epiphany, seeing his prospective future. The commercial is inferring that Jimi’s life was influenced by his decision to drink Pepsi. And while the ad doesn’t directly infer that this could happen to the viewer, that desire is created. People crave to be extraordinary and here was the moment in a kid’s life when he went from ordinary to extraordinary. This idea of fate also gives an explicit negative connotation to its competitor by setting the coke machine next to an accordion shop when accordions are old-fashioned and colonial-sounding; far from “cool.” The text then comes in, saying, “Whew…that was a close one,” and points out that, if Jimi had chosen to drink Coke, the Jimi Hendrix that we love and respect would not have been the same.

It’s important that Pepsi is using the portrait of Jimi Hendrix as a child. It’s not only because that’s when he was introduced to music but because children do well to influence all ages of viewers. As I mentioned above, children see one of their own having fun or looking “cool.” They can identify with the character in the ad; someone their age who may have their interests in mind. Adults see children in ads differently. Children still have an innocence and have more simple views on what they want and what they don’t want. They tend not to evaluate the pros and cons of a situation; they act more on their gut. This simple desire-based decision shows adults that Pepsi is what these kids really want to drink. Kids want what they want and they won’t let obstacles stand in their way. This second ad illustrates that point beautifully:



The simple, light music in this ad also adds to the image of children being innocent. In this ad, the little boy buys two cans of Coke just to be able to reach the Pepsi button on the vending machine. He then leaves the Coke behind and walks away sipping his Pepsi. This ad is more representative of how children are insistent on the one brand. In the Jimi Hendrix ad, he doesn’t sacrifice anything, but his insistence on drinking Pepsi brought him positive consequences. He runs across the street to get to the Pepsi as fast as he can. He knows what he wants and he makes sure he gets it, just like the kid who can’t reach the Pepsi button. He doesn’t even think about drinking the Coke, he just needs something to boost him up so that he can get his Pepsi. In the ad that I mentioned earlier with Hallie Kate Eisenberg she orders a Pepsi, but the sneaky bartender gives her a glass of Coke instead. When she takes a sip, she is dissatisfied with him and her voice turns into a Godfather-like voice which she uses to get him to serve her a Pepsi. This also brings up the point that even children can taste the difference between the two cola brands and prefer Pepsi. Both Jimi and the other little boy obviously know the difference as well. This creates the desire to buy what more people prefer. If these kids are so enthusiastic about getting a Pepsi, there must be something about it that makes it better. Not only is the desire for conformity created, but the desire for quality as well.

Advertising has used celebrity endorsements from the beginning, and it’s a commonly known strategy. The implications of using celebrities in commercials are so obvious to us. However, the use of children in ads to bring out our simplest desires is a little more subliminal. We react differently to children showing us what to buy, even celebrity children. We don’t think about them manipulating us, even though they have the power to do so very easily. Pepsi employed this technique a lot throughout their history in advertising.


Megan Linner
TA: Laura Bennett