I LOVE MY MUG (ROOT BEER!)

Pepsi suspected, after they bought a little known root beer brand called Mug, that they had a real clinker. Beyond that fear, I had to change an old-fashioned, turn-of-the-19th century beverage into a modern, popular, mass-appeal drink. I told them: I love my Mug!. The two memorable mugs I chose to belt out our self-effacing message were Richard Jaws Kiel, the shark-toothed villain of two popular James Bond 007 films, and the outrageous Phyllis Diller (whose mug changes every year). The double-entendre of their delivery, raucously sung in a sunny, funny, jingle, along with the enthusiastic acceptance of the campaign by Pepsi bottlers, made Mug the No.1 root beer in New York in a few short months.