RF Raises Awareness of Pepsi's Longstanding Commitment to Workplace Equality

September 23, 2009

RFI Studios and PepsiCo Inc.are pleased to announce the launch of www.realpepsichallenge.com, a site that chronicles Pepsi's unique choice to employ African-Americans during 1940-1951, well before the Civil Rights movement made workplace equality a prominent issue in America.

Pepsi-Cola initially hired 12 black salesmen in 1940 to boost profits, but over the following decade and beyond, the extraordinary sales team also advanced the notion of workforce diversity and revolutionized the image of African-Americans in advertising, portraying them as typical middle-class consumers -- a revelation at the time.

Even as the team eventually was dispersed in the early 1950s, its legacy was evident, as African-American professionals started to join corporations in increasing numbers and the clout of the black consumer finally was recognized.

www.realpepsichallenge.com includes an interactive timeline, an archive of newspaper clippings of the team, advertisements, and quotes from the team's members. The site begins with a visually rich flash intro, and a high level of design is maintained throughout the site, highlighting the impact of this moment in Pepsi and America's history.