A talented artist can have a profound effect on how a product is portrayed in an advertisement. There are plenty of artists that have contributed substantially to the field of advertising. One such artist was Otto Soglow. His cartoons are easily recognizable and effectively utilize humor as a tool to persuade the consumer to purchase the product advertised. He was did work for large companies such as Nabisco, Martin's Scotch, Royal Gelatin, and even the U.S. Treasury Department.  But, my favorite series he did was for Pepsi.
These ads were all done with the classic progressive comic book panel. Not much text in these ads... but the story is effectively conveyed through the art work. The mere mention of Pepsi-Cola evokes strong reactions in the characters of these comics. Anyone who's tried to get a cab in the rain can appreciate the advertisement on the left! If only offering a soda would really work like that...
Otto Soglow frequently had patriotic themed elements to his artwork. It's not surprising, since he was actively established in his career during WWII. The story shown in the advertisement on the right is pretty amusing. A spy eavesdrops on a conversation... and the important message he relays back to his superiors is "Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you". While humorous... not only does this promote Pepsi (it's so good even the enemy wants it), but it also helps reinforce the idea that "loose talk loses lives".



To see more of Otto Soglow's work, view these and more of his advertisements here. Our, if you'd like to see more Pepsi Ads, click here!

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