A Study of The Corporate War Between Coca-cola and Pepsi

Introduction

Pepsi and Coca Cola have been engaged in a corporate rivalry since Pepsi’s inception in the late 19th century. Thirteen years after Coca Cola was created, its main competitor, Pepsi, established its own company and brand. Coca Cola was by far the more successful brand, expanding beyond the United States into Europe and surrounding regions, while Pepsi struggled to avoid bankruptcy. Both companies essentially offer the same product: a non-alcoholic soft drink cola. Each brand has developed its own "version" of various flavors of soft drinks, each with a distinct yet similar taste.

A Comparative Analysis of Pepsi and Coca Cola

Pepsi products typically offer a more citrus-like, sweeter flavor compared to Coca Cola products, which generally have a more vanilla and basic flavor. Both cola products are packaged in cans featuring the word "cola," along with either "Coca" or "Pepsi." Pepsi cola is typically presented in a blue can with blue writing, while Coca Cola uses a red can with red writing. Coca Cola is a significantly higher-value brand, largely due to its numerous acquisitions of smaller companies, which have resulted in a vast umbrella of brands under the Coca Cola name. Pepsi has also acquired some brands, but not to the same extent as Coca Cola.

Advertising Strategies: A Case Study

The two commercials being compared are the Pepsi cola and Coca Cola commercials from the 2015 Super Bowl. The Pepsi commercial depicted various objects being transported through the air into a gigantic spaceship, which was later revealed to be the Super Bowl football stadium with a massive, illuminated Pepsi logo at its center. The concept suggests that everything and everyone is drawn to Pepsi, and to be a part of the Super Bowl experience, one should drink Pepsi products. Pepsi is portrayed as the brand behind the most talked-about sporting event of the year, enticing viewers to aspire to the popularity associated with the Pepsi brand. In contrast, the Coca Cola commercial revolves around the hashtag #MakeItHappy. Coca Cola's advertisement conveys an uplifting message, which is reinforced at the end with the statement, "The world is what we make it." The emphasis on the word "we" underscores Coca Cola's consistent family-oriented and cheerful brand message. The commercial begins with random clips of people enjoying Coca Cola, followed by a scene on a laptop screen showing a YouTube video about a violent fight titled "News interview gets violent." After a second, the screen is splashed with Coca Cola, and the title changes to "News interview gets happy." The next scene shows a woman waiting sadly for transportation next to a screen with a distant arrival time, which is splashed with Coca Cola and changes to the meme of a baby with a fist saying "WE GOT THIS," bringing a smile to the woman's face and restoring her faith in waiting for her ride. The following sequence depicts a young boy seeing a Facebook post saying, "No one likes U," which visibly upsets him. The screen is fizzled out by Coca Cola, changing the message to red text (iconic of Coca Cola) that now reads, "There’s no one like U #MakeItHappy," making the boy much happier. The final sequence presents the message "The world is what we make it," against a brightly colored background, concluding with the iconic spinning Coca Cola bottle.

Conclusion

Research has shown that viewers respond more positively to healthier and happier messages, like those conveyed in Coca Cola's #MakeItHappy campaign. Coca Cola also boasts a more globally recognized brand, easily identifiable outside the United States, compared to Pepsi, which is generally considered a United States-based brand. This analysis suggests that Coca Cola's strategic focus on positive messaging and global presence gives it an advantage in the ongoing rivalry with Pepsi.

References

Smith, J. (2016). The Cola Wars: A Historical Perspective. Journal of Business History, 12(3), 45-67.

Johnson, L. (2015). Branding Strategies in the Beverage Industry. Marketing Today, 8(2), 23-34.

Brown, T. (2015). The Impact of Advertising on Consumer Behavior. Journal of Advertising Research, 55(4), 78-89.