In January, Coke announced new Diet Coke flavors and a sleek new can.

PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi recently told investors that a new, nostalgia-focused Pepsi Generations marketing push, playing up successful ad campaigns of the past, will help boost sales.ĭuane Stanford, executive editor of Beverage Digest, thinks Pepsi can win back customers by beefing up advertising for its core brands.

And soda is cheaper to make than other beverages. Related: Coca-Cola's new CEO: 'We've got to experiment'Ĭarbonated soft drinks still accounted for $81 billion in sales in North America in 2016, according to Beverage Digest - way more than growing categories like water ($23 billion) and sports drinks ($9.4 billion). 'They got very distracted for the last few years on cola,' she said. While it was branching out, Pepsi took its eye off its namesake product, said Caroline Levy, a research analyst who covers beverages for Macquarie Capital. PepsiCo merged with Frito-Lay and now owns Quaker Oats, Tostitos and other food brands. Evolving tastes and sugar taxes have encouraged brands like Coke ( KO) and Pepsi ( PEP) to invest in healthier alternatives.īoth companies have diversified their product lineups, but the stakes in cola are higher for Coke. They do it to catch you and win your love.Īfter all, there is no lousy fame when it comes to business.People are turning away from sugary drinks and empty calories.

As a consumer, you might have already seen tons of strange, scary, funny, emotional, and ridiculous ads from different brands. Pepsi and Coca-Cola is an excellent example of how big companies try hard to step one level above the others. They are not loyal, but they are why companies get into the competition, create hilarious ads, and outperform others. Waivers, who switch between the brands, searching for the best value.They love your brand, they trust it, they want to be a part of it. Brand advocates, who will buy your product no matter how much negative publicity your company gets.No matter how successful the ad campaign is, consumers will most likely take a side and defend their favorites.įor mass production companies like Pepsi, Coke, McDonald’s, Burger King, etc., there are two types of consumers: Consumers Will Always Defend Their Favoritesĭespite your tremendous efforts to win a broader audience and a competition, you have to know that consumers have their preferences. If your efforts are noticed (which will eventually happen), you might end up in court, and all your efforts will be a complete waste of time and money. Otherwise, the outcome can be far less successful. Piggyback branding will definitely bring your company more publicity if done in the right way. However, you need to know that the direct usage of rival logos, slogans, mottos with copyright protection might harm your company. It is deliberately done this way to avoid legal consequences.Ĭoca-Cola, Pepsi, and many other big-name companies often use rival brand elements in their ads. You might have noticed Pepsi intentionally mixed the letters on the red cap, which states Cola-Coca. Mentioning Your Competitor Directly in an Ad Can Be Risky This great Halloween marketing campaign illustrates two powerful lessons all advertisers and brands have to know to win the race, unlike Pepsi. It changed the ad's meaning and made its fans believe Pepsi tried to wear a red cape for Halloween to be a hero, like Coca-Cola. The battle continued, but this time Coca-Cola definitely won the race with its response.Ĭoca-Cola did a great trick with its robust response. However, Coke’s fans came up with a creative follow-up message.

The official company representatives opted out of the game. You might wonder if Coca-Cola reacted to this challenge. Very well done, Pepsi! The ad created a mood and spread awareness all around the internet. You might buy Coke, as it is popular, but what you really want is a Pepsi. Perhaps the ad was meant to reveal the deepest wishes of soda drinkers. The concept is fabulous! This ad went viral on Facebook and Twitter, obviously as Pepsi wanted it to.Īccording to this source, the ad resulted in 24,185 shares in a week on social media and reached over 65 million people. The ad featured a Pepsi can in a red cape, which had Coke’s brand colors. Image creditĪpplause goes to the Pepsi creative team! I am sure the ad puts a big smile on Pepsi’s and Coca-Cola’s fans' faces worldwide.

Coke pepsi ad wars