Cola wars

Soft drink marketing rivalry

This article is about the soft drink rivalry. For coca wars, see Coca eradication.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi vending machines in Indianapolis, 1988

The Cola wars are the long-time rivalry between soft drink producers The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo, who have engaged in mutually-targeted marketing campaigns for the direct competition between each company's product lines, especially their flagship colas, Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Beginning in the late 1970s and into the 1980s, the competition escalated until it became known as the cola wars.[1][2]

## History

[edit]

In 1886, John Stith Pemberton, a pharmacist from Colombus, Georgia, developed the original recipe for Coca-Cola. By 1888, control of the recipe was acquired by Asa Griggs Candler, who founded The Coca-Cola Company in 1896.[3][4] Two years later in 1898 in New Bern, North Carolina, Caleb Bradham renamed his "Brad's Drink" to "Pepsi-Cola," and founded the Pepsi-Cola Company in 1902.[5]

The two companies introduced advertising techniques, such as Coke's first celebrity endorsement and its 1915 contour bottle. However, market instability following World War I forced Pepsi to declare bankruptcy in 1923.[6] In 1931, Pepsi went bankrupt once more, but recovered and began selling its products at 5 cents per bottle, helping them remain competitive in the market.[7] Pepsi approached Coca-Cola with an offer to sell following both bankruptcies, but Coca-Cola declined.[8]

Joya Williams, a secretary to Coca-Cola's global brand director, conspired to sell the Coca-Cola formula in 2006. Williams, along with her accomplices Ibrahim Dimson and Edmund Duhaney, conspired to sell the confidential trade secret to Pepsi for $1.5 million USD. However, Pepsi did not buy and instead reported the illegal offer to Coca-Cola and the FBI. The FBI conducted a sting operation posing as Pepsi executives, leading to the arrest of Williams and her accomplices. [9] Public prosecutor David Nahmias praised Pepsi for doing the right thing: “They did so because trade secrets are important to everybody in the business community. They realize that if their trade secrets are violated, they all suffer, the market suffers and the community suffers.” [10]

## Advertising strategies

[edit]

### Coca-Cola

[edit]

Coca-Cola advertising has often incorporated themes of wholesomeness and nostalgia, such as the Coca-Cola polar bears mascot and Santa Claus campaigns during Christmas.[11]

### Pepsi

[edit]

Pepsi advertising strategy has prominently featured sponsorships and online marketing.

#### Pepsi Challenge

[edit]

In 1975, Pepsi launched the Pepsi Challenge, in which people were asked which cola they preferred in blind taste tests.[2] The campaign suggested that consumers favored Pepsi over Coca-Cola based solely on taste. This contributed to the competitive campaigns, and around this time, Coca-Cola's introduced Diet Coke in 1982, and New Coke three years later. However, the Pepsi Challenge was a marketing campaign and not a scientific study. Subsequent studies with scientific controls found only modest differences between Pepsi and Coke.[12][13] The campaign suggested that, when it came down to taste alone, consumers preferred Pepsi over Coca-Cola. Some researchers have suggested that the taste of the Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola products were influenced based off of external factors, such as the temperature they were served at.[13]

#### "New Coke"

[edit]

During the cola wars, as Coca-Cola saw its flagship product losing market share to Pepsi as well as to Diet Coke and competitors' products, the company considered a change to the beverage's formula and flavor.[citation needed] In April 1985, The Coca-Cola Company introduced its new formula for Coca-Cola, which became known as "New Coke". However, consumer backlash led to the company reintroducing the original formula as "Coca-Cola Classic" on July 11, 1985.[12] Some analysts have speculated that the decision to replace the original flavor was actually a strategy to boost Coke sales once it came back on the market, which it did; however, the Coca-Cola Company denies the claim.[14]

#### "Pepsi Stuff"

[edit]

In the mid-1990s, Pepsi launched its Pepsi Stuff campaign. Using the slogan "Drink Pepsi, Get Stuff", consumers could collect Pepsi Points on packages and cups which could be redeemed for free Pepsi merchandise. The program was later expanded to include Mountain Dew and Pepsi's international markets worldwide. The company continued to run the program for many years, with periodic updates with new features.[15] This line of commercials led to the court case Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc., which was chronicled in the 2022 Netflix show Pepsi, Where's My Jet?

### Super Bowl LIII

[edit]

Super Bowl LIII in 2019 was played in Atlanta, Georgia, which is where Coca-Cola's head office is located. Pepsi had been a sponsor of the NFL for years, sponsoring the half time shows from 2013 to 2022.[16] Pepsi advertising tied to the game referenced the game’s location with slogans such as "Pepsi in Atlanta. How Refreshing", "Hey Atlanta, Thanks For Hosting. We'll Bring The Drinks", and "Look Who's in Town for Super Bowl LIII". Both companies ran television ads during the Super Bowl, as Coca-Cola aired the commercial "A Coke is a Coke" just before the Super Bowl's National Anthem, while Pepsi ran a series of ads with the tagline "Is Pepsi OK?".[17]

### Celebrity branding

[edit]

Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi engaged celebrity branding in the Cola wars, enlisting musicians as spokespeople. Coca-Cola hired Paula Abdul to represent them, while Pepsi hired Michael Jackson.[18] Jackson contributed to Pepsi's public relations and advertising, suggesting that the company use his song "Billie Jean" as their jingle.[19]

On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi commercial overseen by Phil Dusenberry,[20] a BBDO ad agency executive, and Alan Pottasch, Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. During a simulated concert, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire, causing second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars and had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter.[21] Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated the $1.5 million (equivalent to $4.5 million in 2024) settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California; its now-closed Michael Jackson Burn Center was named in his honor.[22][23]

## Comparison of products

[edit]

Many of the brands available from the three largest soda producers, The Coca-Cola Company,[24] PepsiCo[25] and Keurig Dr Pepper, compete directly within similar categories of soft drinks. The following chart lists these competitors by type or flavor of drink.

Flavor/type  | PepsiCo  | The Coca-Cola Company  | Keurig Dr Pepper

|
|
|

Cola | Pepsi | Coca-Cola | RC Cola
Schweppes Cola
Diet/sugar-free cola | Diet Pepsi/Pepsi Light
Pepsi Max

Pepsi Zero Sugar
Pepsi One (discontinued)
Pepsi Next (discontinued)
Pepsi True (discontinued)

| Diet Coke/Coca-Cola Light
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
Tab (discontinued)
Coca-Cola Life (discontinued)  | Diet Rite
Diet RC
RC Zero Sugar
Caffeine-free cola | Caffeine-Free Pepsi | Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola | RC 100
Cherry-flavored cola | Pepsi Wild Cherry | Coca-Cola Cherry | Cherry RC
Pepper-style | DOC 360
Dr Slice (discontinued)  | Mr. Pibb/Pibb Xtra | Dr Pepper
Orange | Mirinda
Tropicana Twister
Tango
Slice
Crush (in the US and Canada)  | Fanta
Minute Maid
Simply Orange
Royal Tru Orange | Crush (in countries other than the US and Canada)
Sunkist
Lemon-lime | Starry
Teem (discontinued)
Slice (discontinued)
Sierra Mist (discontinued)
7 Up (in countries other than the US)  | Sprite | 7 Up (in the US)
Citrus | Mountain Dew | Mello Yello
Surge
Vault | Sun Drop
Grapefruit and other citrus flavors | Kas
Izze
Citrus Blast | Fresca
Lift
LiltFanta Portello (Sri Lanka only)  | Squirt
Ginger ale | Patio | Seagram's Ginger Ale | Canada Dry
Schweppes
Vernors
Root beer | Mug Root Beer | Barq's
Ramblin' Root Beer (until 1995)  | A&W Root Beer
Stewart's Rootbeer
Hires Root Beer
Cream soda | Mug Cream Soda  | Barq's Red Creme Soda | A&W Cream Soda
Stewart's Cream Soda
Juices | Tropicana
Dole
(prepackaged only, under license) | Minute Maid
Fruitopia
Simply Orange | Mott's
Nantucket Nectars
Snapple
Iced tea | Lipton
Brisk
Pure Leaf
(ready-to-drink products only, under license from Unilever) | Nestea
(manufactured by Nestlé in the US and by a joint venture between Nestlé and Coca-Cola elsewhere)
Gold Peak Tea
Fuze
Peace Tea | Snapple
Sports drinks | Gatorade
Propel | Powerade
Aquarius
Vitamin Water | All Sport
Energy drinks | AMP
Rockstar
Sting
Mountain Dew Kickstart | Coca-Cola Energy
Full Throttle
NOS
Relentless
Burn
Monster Energy
(manufactured by Monster Beverage, co-owned by and distributed by Coca-Cola) | Venom
Xyience
Adrenaline Shoc
Bottled water | Aquafina
LIFEWTR[26] | Dasani
Kinley
Smartwater
Ades | Dejà Blue
Sparkling water | Bubly | Aha  | Limitless

## In popular culture

[edit]

It was announced that Judd Apatow would be directing a film based on the cola wars for Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, with Steven Spielberg as producer.[27][28][29][30]

## See also

[edit]

* Drink portal

* Burger wars
* Chicken sandwich wars
* Coffee wars
* Console wars
* Format wars
* Smartphone wars
* Browser wars
* Tar derby

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kim Bhasin (January 1, 2013). "COKE VS. PEPSI: The Story Behind The Neverending 'Cola Wars'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
2. ^ a b "1975: Cola wars heat up with launch of Pepsi Challenge". The Drum. Archived from the original on 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
3. ^ "The Birth of a Refreshing Idea: Coca-Cola History". Archived from the original on 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
4. ^ Kim Bhasin (January 1, 2013). "COKE VS. PEPSI: The Amazing Story Behind The Cola Wars". Business Insider. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
5. ^ "History of the Birthplace of Pepsi". Archived from the original on 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
6. ^ Moore, John (February 4, 2025). "NXT TV results (2/4): Moore's review of Oba Femi and Trick Williams vs. Grayson Waller and Austin Theory, Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair appears". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
7. ^ Ken C. (August 2019). "Coke vs. Pepsi: The Story Behind the Biggest Marketing Rivalry in History". Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
8. ^ Mark Pendergrast (2000). For God, Country and Coca-Cola. Basic Books. pp. 192–193\. ISBN 0-465-05468-4.192-193&rft.pub=Basic+Books&rft.date=2000&rft.isbn=0-465-05468-4&rft.au=Mark+Pendergrast&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Cola+wars" class="Z3988">
9. ^ https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coca-cola-insider-tried-selling-secrets-to-pepsi-what-happened-next-6778659
10. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/jul/07/marketingandpr.drink
11. ^ Paracha, Nadeem F. (2017-04-26). "Cola wars: A social and political history". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
12. ^ a b Becky Little. "How the 'Blood Feud' Between Coke and Pepsi Escalated During the 1980s Cola Wars". History.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
13. ^ a b "Extending the "Pepsi Paradox" to Diet Cola - Office of the Vice President for Research | University of South Carolina". sc.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
14. ^ Lily Rothman (23 April 2015). "Here's What New Coke Tasted Like". Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
15. ^ "Pop Go the Points". Archived from the original on 2008-03-21.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
16. ^ Young, Jabari (2022-05-24). "NFL renews its sponsorship deal with Pepsi, but without the Super Bowl halftime show". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
17. ^ Delaney Strunk (29 January 2019). "The biggest rivalry in Atlanta on Super Bowl weekend has nothing to do with football". CNN. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved Apr 27, 2019.
18. ^ "All 119 References in "We Didn't Start the Fire," Explained | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
19. ^ Herrera, Monica (2009-07-03). "Michael Jackson, Pepsi Made Marketing History". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
20. ^ Story, Louise (December 31, 2007). "Philip B. Dusenberry, 71, Adman, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
21. ^ Shivaprasad, Sindhu (August 30, 2016). "Reliving the icon who defined music history: The eternal moonwalker, King of Pop – Michael Jackson". Big News Network (Press release). Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
22. ^ Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2009). Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958–2009. Grand Central Publishing, 2009. pp. 279–287\. ISBN 978-0-446-56474-8.279-287&rft.pub=Grand+Central+Publishing,+2009&rft.date=2009&rft.isbn=978-0-446-56474-8&rft.aulast=Taraborrelli&rft.aufirst=J.+Randy&rft_id=https://archive.org/details/michaeljacksonma0000tara&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Cola+wars" class="Z3988">
23. ^ "Michael Jackson Burn Center Closes". Associated Press News (Press release). August 28, 1987. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021.
24. ^ "Brands". The Coca-Cola Company. Archived from the original on 2012-12-24. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
25. ^ "PepsiCo Corporate Site". PepsiCo.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
26. ^ "LIFEWTR". PepsiCo, Inc. Archived from the original on 2018-02-14. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
27. ^ Franklin, Garth (2024-09-11). "Judd Apatow To Direct "Cola Wars" Film". Dark Horizons. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
28. ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (2024-09-11). "Judd Apatow & Steven Spielberg Join Coke Vs. Pepsi Film 'Cola Wars' At Sony". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
29. ^ Gajewski, Ryan (2024-09-11). "Judd Apatow to Direct Coke-Pepsi Rivalry Movie 'Cola Wars' From Steven Spielberg and Sony". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
30. ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (2024-02-23). "Sony Uncaps $1M+ Deal For 'Cola Wars' In Heated Auction For Coke Vs. Pepsi Saga". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-02-27.

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