However, in the 1950s, in the United States as well as in Europe and Asia, coffee was still considered a popular and rather old-fashioned beverage, unlike tea, which was considered refined and often associated with the aristocracy.
Worried by this disaffection, the coffee industry took action. United within the Pan American Coffee Bureau and led by one of the oldest brands, Maxwell House, founded in 1892, they launched a vast advertising campaign to restore coffee's image. Radio, television, billboards, press: the campaign is all over the country, mobilizing the biggest stars of the day, including the great John Wayne himself. Its slogan: "Give yourself a coffee break". The expression made an immediate impression and has endured for seventy years.
The coffee giants succeeded. Less than a year after the campaign was launched, 80% of American companies were giving their workers a coffee break.