How Pepsi Helped Disarm Russia (Can McDonald's Help Do Similar?)

What impact do Western brands pulling out of Russia have?

Photo by Suzy Brooks on Unsplash

In 1959 an argument between Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Nikita Kruschev led to Pepsi becoming the first Western product sold in the Soviet Union.

But what looked like a political disagreement was a clever marketing ploy designed by Pepsi. And in the years to come, it had an impact on international diplomacy, with the Vice President of Pepsi, Donald Kendall, telling the National Security Adviser of the U.S, “we are disarming the U.S.S.R. faster than you.”

It’s not the first time a big American consumer brand has impacted a Communist country — McDonald's and Levi’s have also affected local sentiment.

Given that many brands are pulling out of Russia at present, I thought it would be worthwhile having a brief look at the role these global brands can play in international diplomacy.

But first, it’s Pepsi time.

The perfect PR stunt

It was 1959, and President Eisenhower had staged an American National Exhibition in Moscow to promote American culture to the people of the Soviet Union. Companies such as Disney and Pepsi attended to showcase their products to the Soviet people for…