Advertising
In the early 20th century, the national advertising logo of Nehi was typically a picture of a seated woman's legs, in which the skirt was high enough to show the stockings up to the knee, suggesting the phrase "knee-high", to illustrate the correct pronunciation of the company name. This logo was seen in the film Paper Moon in a diner where Moses Pray buys Addie Loggins a Nehi. A more provocative, Midwestern version of the logo—one showing a single, thigh-high disembodied leg without a skirt—was referenced in Jean Shepherd's story "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award That Heralded the Birth of Pop Art" in the book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, as well as in the film A Christmas Story, which was adapted from several short stories in the book. Shepherd's invention of the now-famous "Leg Lamp" in his stories of the Depression era was derived from the Midwestern Nehi logo.[4]
Robert Ripley advertised Nehi on his radio show Ripley's Believe It or Not! The radio show was successful in promoting the new RC Cola brand and, by 1940, the company was doing well financially.[5] In 1946, the pace for the corporation accelerated tremendously. The company began to enhance its advertising by using celebrities. Bing Crosby, Joan Crawford (before joining the Pepsi Cola Company board of directors), Bob Hope, and many others joined in selling the products of the Nehi Corporation.[6] When World War II was over, the company and its bottlers joined in a progressive program of expansion and improvement that made 1947 one of its best years. In that year, Hedy Lamarr was pictured in point-of-purchase advertising signs. At that time, the Nehi Corporation offered more than 10 flavors and those included Dr. Nehi, Nehi Chocolate, Nehi Root Beer, Nehi Lemonade, Nehi Wild Red, Nehi Blue Cream, and its more classic flavors Nehi Orange, Nehi Grape, and Nehi Peach. Many of these flavors were later dropped as their novelty and popularity waned. A fictional illustration of the popularity of the drink in this era is seen in the character Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly, the company clerk on the long-running television series M*A*S*H, set during the Korean War; Radar's favorite beverage was Grape Nehi.
