Business Movers Pepsi: Doing Good Business | Special Markets | 1
Feb 15, 2024
The podcast explores Pepsi President Walter Mack hiring a team of Black salesmen in the 1940s to target African American customers despite segregation. It delves into the challenges faced by the sales team in racially segregated areas, their efforts to build brand loyalty, and the innovative marketing strategies implemented to tap into the African American market.
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Roadside Confrontation In Mississippi
- Herman Smith offered free bottles of Pepsi to cotton field workers and was confronted by an angry white landowner who chased them away.
- Herman defused the situation with calm politeness and prioritized his safety over confrontation.
Underserved Market As Strategic Opportunity
- Walter Mack saw neglected black consumers as both a moral obligation and a strategic growth opportunity.
- He created the Negro Markets Division to build loyalty and gain market share among African Americans.
Winning Over Skeptical Bottlers
- Herman faced a tense after-hours meeting with white bottlers in Birmingham who initially said he was unwanted.
- He won them over by arguing superior salesmanship and promising mutual profit.