Beautifully Illustrated Ads From The 1950s When Pepsi Went Upscale Against Coke

Historically, Pepsi has a fantastic advertising reputation.

In recent decades, it's been focused on youth and pop culture. (Nicki Minaj is a current brand ambassador.) The brand has, of course, had its missteps, but generally speaking Pepsi has released admirable work.

We took a look through Retronaut and found a selection of ads the brand created in the 1950s.

Back then, as today, the drink wanted to be sexy and modern. In its ads, the drink and its consumers were portrayed as super-classy, upscale types at the center of the social scene.