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'Pepsi Challenge' and the Birth of Niche Marketing
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The cola wars between Pepsi and Coke began in the late 1930s when Pepsi started making gains in the market. Pepsi sought the advantage, in part, by appealing to the African-American dollar.
In 1940, Pepsi chief executive Walter Mack had the unprecedented idea of putting together a "negro-markets" department. Edward Boyd led the team of 12 black professionals, making Boyd one of the first black executives in corporate America. He and his group developed a marketing strategy seeking brand loyalty among African Americans. The strategy was one of the first attempts at niche marketing.
Wall Street Journal writer Stephanie Capparell looks at Pepsi's efforts to reach the African-American community in her new book, The Real Pepsi Challenge. Capparell and Boyd talk with Farai Chideya about the special-markets campaign, which featured some of the first black professional models.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
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