It happens. Once in a blue moon (or a red, white, and blue one), an iconic brand changes up its branding ever so slightly (or ever so drastically). Campbell’s Soup recently did it. Sprite subtly changed its logo in 2022. Kraft Mac & Cheese opted for a full name change. And now Pepsi, the cobalt-clad cola herself, is mixing things up a little bit.
How different is this new Pepsi logo? Is it an almost imperceptible change like Campbell’s or would I no longer recognize Pepsi if it bumped into me on the street?
Okay, so, it is recognizable for sure (especially since now “Pepsi” appears in big, bold, black lettering right across the can’s equator), but it is still a fairly drastic change. To jog your memory, the current logo (which we’ve been Pep-seeing since 2014) looks like this. This next iteration, however, takes it all the way back to a retro look reminiscent of the Pepsi logos from the ’70s and ’80s. People seem to know what Pepsi is, so why is Pepsi changing up its iconic, current, modern look? Why make it harder to figure out that you are drinking Pepsi? Well, it turns out consumer research showed Pepsi that people liked the ’70s and ’80s logo design better than other eras of Pepsi logos, so this change will not make it harder to recognize at all, but will, ideally, cause it to stand out more in a way people like. Ironically, Pepsi’s plan is to use this sort of retro-ish logo to add a “contemporary edge” to the brand, according to USA Today. Marketing, man. What a ride.
As for when this logo will become the only one we see in stores, looks like Pepsi is shooting for August 2023, which happens to be Pepsi’s 125th anniversary. I don’t know if I like this new Pepsi logo more than the old one. It is certainly bolder and slightly less minimalist, but I’m curious to see if this new logo will put a pep in Pepsi’s step financially speaking, or if it will simply be a pretty new face on the ol’ soda shelf.
One thing’s for sure though, no matter how the pack looks, you can bet Mythical Chef Josh will be making a bunch of “Pilk” (Pepsi Milk) and forcing people to try it until the end of time, and there’s something beautiful about that continuity.
