“Pepsi Generation” - what are these years? When Pepsi Cola appeared in Russia

“The Pepsi Generation” was the name given to a certain type of people who absorbed the cultural traditions of the 90s. That time was quite specific, and therefore people of that time differed in somewhat non-standard views of the world. Their thinking absorbed the ideals of Americans and Europeans, but not Russians in the traditional sense of the word. The name of the generation of those times comes from the Pepsi ad.

origin of name

Why Pepsi? Everything is simple. It's no secret that the two companies - Coca-Cola and Pepsi have long been competing with each other, and this war is more than a hundred years old. At one of the stages of this confrontation, Pepsi seriously engaged in attracting the attention of young people to its products, and in 1964 released the next advertising slogan “The New Generation Chooses Pepsi”. The success of an advertising campaign is included in all marketing textbooks.

When did Pepsi appear in Russia? In 1959, the American National Exhibition was held in Moscow, where Soviet citizens could try an overseas drink. Even Nikita Khrushchev appreciated it, but at least 10 years passed before Pepsi cola entered the Soviet market.

In the early 70s, the chairman of the Council of Ministers, Kosygin A.N., made it possible to conclude a trade agreement between the USSR and the USA, thanks to which a carbonated drink began to be distributed in the vastness of the Soviet state in exchange for the popularization of Stolichnaya vodka in the West.

Thus, in the early 70s there was a cut of the market between Coca Cola and Pepsi. China at that time went to Coca-Cola, and the USSR and the socialist countries. camps - Pepsi. In 1974, the company built its factory in Novorossiysk. The second bottling shop appeared in 1978 in Yevpatoriya. And in 1980, during the Olympics in Moscow, Soviet people could enjoy a dark western drink.

As soon as the USSR collapsed, they began to import various Western products into the open spaces of our homeland, as well as actively advertise such products. The slogan "The new generation chooses Pepsi" has become more relevant than ever. Pepsi is becoming a symbol of the Western way of life: video games, films, clothes, as well as the decline of the old regime and the triumph of the new.

“Pepsi Generation” - what are these years?

In the West, this is the name of the generation of the mid 60s - late 70s. The era was associated with changes in American society. The amount of information was growing, the families of former hippies were breaking up, the younger generation was gaining consumer views. The personality in this era becomes independent, free-thinking, seeking to try everything.

In our country, the “Pepsi generation” includes people born from the late 60s to the mid 80s. The childhood and youth of these people took place in the late USSR, and the beginning of independent life was in the midst of the 90s.

To be more precise, it is customary to classify people born in the period from 1969 to 1974 as the “Pepsi generation”.

What are they like?

So, people belonging to this time managed to “slurp the scoop”, visited the October Revolutionaries and pioneers, and some - the Komsomol members. The formation of their worldview took place in the late 1980s - early 1990s, when the iron curtain began to rise slightly, the culture of civilized countries of Europe, the USA, and Japan began to penetrate the USSR.

This time can be characterized by one capacious phrase: "Everything has become possible." For a Soviet person, this was a real fantasy. Video games, western films became available. From abroad - “Sneakers”, equipment, cars.

“Pepsi Generation” - what are these years? The peak of the era occurred in the nineties of the twentieth century, when the Soviet Union had already fallen, but the era of Putin's rule had not yet arrived. For the “Pepsi generation” this time (90s) is happy years with gum inserts, set-top boxes, video tapes and, of course, Pepsi-Cola, which was known since childhood.

Symbols of Generation

Answering the question: “Pepsi generation” - what are the years, the main symbols of the era should be named:

• it is undoubtedly Pepsi — to drink;
• pager - receive messages from friends;
• MTV is for fun.

At the end of the period, in 1999, Decl appeared, who became a living symbol of the described generation.

Features of that time and its people

The main feature inherent in most people of that era is a healthy “do not care”. They were not worried about bandits and other antisocial elements.

They were not characterized by the rampant consumerism that captured modern society, although gradually the syndrome began to penetrate into consciousness. A lot of imports poured into the country, including Chinese fakes.

Media products were mostly pirated. By that time, the production of records and discs was negligible, so most films and games were released by pirates. But even poor-quality video with a nasty translation, Soviet cassettes with a fuzzy sound, but recorded by Western rock, and cartridges for Dandy were infinitely appreciated by people at that time, especially schoolchildren.

Nostalgia for the era

Nowadays, many businessmen use nostalgia for the 90s and import goods from abroad that remind of this time. “Yuppi”, “Doctor Pepper”, “Love from” again appear on the shelves. In turn, the company "Pepsi" again produces soda with the same design.

Nostalgia for the 90s is expressed in the fact that the music of those years is being revived. Organized shows "Disco 80s", concerts of music of the 90s. Roman Zhukov, Bogdan Titomir, Yuri Shatunov again perform on the stage.

Key features

What else is characteristic of the representatives of the named generation? It is worth listing a few highlights:

• they love Sneakers, Mars, Bounty, fast food and other western foods;
• remember "Yuppie", "Invite", "Hershey-Cola", inserts;
• Anglicisms are used in speech (“okay”, “oops”, “wow”), but often do not speak English;
• nostalgic for CD players;
• they like cartoons about ninja turtles, Disney TV shows, Sailor Moon, Pokemon;
• sympathize with cars of the 90s, even if they drive new ones;
• recall the movie "Star Wars", the lineup at "McDonald's";
• do not like aggressive socially dangerous people - including religious fanatics;
• Do not suffer from patriotism and nationalism;
• adhere to indifferent political views;
• most often atheists;
• miss the music of Prodigy, Limp Bizkit, Nirvana, from Russian music - remember Roma Zhukov, Yura Shatunov, "Ivanushki";
• they saw LiAZ-677 buses, Biryusa refrigerators, old PAZ trucks;
• they drink imported beer without recognizing the domestic one due to the soapy taste;
• often leave Russia for life in Western countries.

Society attitude

The older patriotic-minded Soviet generation did not have too much respect for the representatives of the “Pepsi era,” since the latter had a cool attitude to the Soviet achievements of science and technology, and to exploits during the Great Patriotic War.

Also, people born in the described period prefer not to stand out from the crowd, wanting to lie on the couch rather than participate in other people's political games. They are closer to Pepsi and consoles, walking with friends and watching TV than defending their rights or rebelling against the system. By such an attitude to life, they cause obvious negativity in actively minded circles.

End of an era

The decline of the generation began when Putin came to power. The film "Brigade", "Boomer" and others were released. Bright imitators of the heroes of these films appeared on the streets. But the era was drawing to a close, and in the second half of the 2000s, the “Pepsi generation” was forgotten.

At this time, it becomes fashionable in society to talk about the spiritual greatness of Russia and hate everything western, listen to chanson and rap, MTV goes into oblivion. The period is replaced by diapers, glamor and Comedy Club.

So we sorted it out, the “Pepsi generation” - these are what years and what are their distinguishing features.