Coke vs. Pepsi: Battle of the Brands

Posted Apr 10th 2007 4:40PM by Eric Buscemi
Filed under: Products and Services, Consumer Experience, Competitive Strategy, Coca-Cola (KO), PepsiCo (PEP), Marketing and Advertising, Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), Battle of the Brands

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and watch out for more Battle of the Brands posts.

Some people drink Pepsi, some people drink Coke,
The wacky morning DJ says democracy's a joke.
-- Cake, Comfort Eagle

Unless you are a rare RC Cola drinker, your carbonated beverage decision in the supermarket comes down to the two heavyweights: the flagship products from the Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) and PepsiCo Inc (NYSE: PEP). But the battle between these brands spans much further than the supermarket shelves. From which brand restaurants stock, to what countries each operates in, this rivalry is all-encompassing and global. But instead of a list of countries or restaurant chains, lets take a deeper look at the actual products.

Cola and Beyond

We don't have space to list, nor would you have time to read, every different variant of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which would force me to include failed ideas such as Crystal Pepsi. Suffice it to say, you won't find many original ideas here, and when a successful idea comes from either company, an imitator just as quickly appears from the other. Coke/Pepsi, Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi, Cherry Coke/Wild Cherry Pepsi, Coke with Lime/Pepsi Lime, Coke Zero/Pepsi One, Coca-Cola Blak/Pepsi Cappuccino. Had enough yet? Because that was just a list of comparable colas. Both companies also make lemon-lime sodas, orange sodas, and other similar carbonated and noncarbonated beverages. So then what differentiates them? Certainly not their product arsenal, but taste and marketing.

As far as taste goes, you will find most people prefer either Coke or Pepsi, but would drink either if no other choice was offered.

There is, however, one social stigma I noticed back when I was a bartender. A Jack Daniels drinker, for example, that likes his whiskey mixed with cola is much more apt to demand Coca-Cola -- the drink is called a Jack and Coke, after all, and some drinkers take that very literally and very seriously.

I also discovered yesterday that everybody in my office, except Kevin, was able to differentiate between the two colas. So there is at least a recognizable, although not overpowering, difference in taste. Is it enough to make one company a clear cut winner? Not likely, and that is where the marketing comes into play.

Selling Image

Coca-Cola used to have a much wider lead over Pepsi. It was the clear leader -- the standard. But thanks to an infamous branding disaster known as Coke II (which is why Coca-Cola added "Classic" to its name), and a strong push by Pepsi to market to the next generation of cola-chugging children, that gap has narrowed significantly.

While Coke had been playing it safe with ads featuring cute polar bears, Pepsi stole away Generation X with the appropriately titled "The Choice of a New Generation" and "GeneratioNext" marketing campaigns. They had the hottest celebrities drinking Pepsi -- the Spice Girls, Pink, Beyonce, and Puff Daddy. Pepsi continues the celebrity trend to date -- current endorsers include Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blidge, and The All-American Rejects.

Then again, there may be something to be said for Coke's blander advertising campaigns, because for every successful celebrity Pepsi hires, there seems to be one going off the deep end, like bald-headed Britney Spears. Although Spears no longer works for Pepsi, she will be forever associated with it (unless she keeps acting the way she is now, then we'll remember nothing from her other than her descent into insanity). She is not the first celebrity Pepsi may have wished they didn't hire, either. Michael Jackson and Madonna were also controversial spokespeople for the edgier cola.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola is trying to get hipper without the help of any celebrities. In their big Superbowl ad, they spoofed the Grand Theft Auto series of video games with the "Give a Little Love" ad. The ad was definitely aimed at a younger audience, but still friendly and disney-fied.

Whatever direction the advertising for these two powerhouses goes in, it's unlikely either one is going anywhere. Coca-Cola has a market cap of $111.37 billion and PepsiCo is right behind them with a cap of $103.21 billion. Soda, though declining in popularity, is still an American staple, and don't forget that both companies also make a plethora of non-soda beverages.

Be sure to vote in our poll for Pepsi or Coke as your preferred brand, and let us know why you love it in the comments. Results of all Battle of the Brands match-ups coming soon.

Tags: Battle of the Brands, BattleOfTheBrands, Britney Spears, BritneySpears, carbonated beverages, celebrity endorsements, Cherry Coke, Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Blak, Coke, Coke II, Coke Zero, CokeZero, cola wars, colas, Crystal Pepsi, CrystalPepsi, Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, GeneratioNext, Jack and Coke, JackAndCoke, KO, Madonna, Michael Jackson, PEP, Pepsi, Pepsi One, Pepsico, RC cola, Superbowl ads, SuperbowlAds

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

2-01-2008 @ 10:59AM

Gregory said...

pepesi is the best

8-30-2008 @ 1:04PM

Pepsi luva said...

Pepsi is the best!! no matter what the taste is addictind and doen't fade as fast as coke im only 14 but i know pepsi will always be my fav behind Dr.P that is!!
Pepsi luva!

12-18-2008 @ 9:17PM

Jason said...

Coke. Is the better choice.

2-27-2009 @ 4:17PM

Daisuke J said...

I agree with jefro about pepsi having that 'top note' over coke. But when it comes down to it, I find that Apple juice does even more for me then either of them.

3-05-2009 @ 12:12PM

richelle said...

i dont like any of them i prefer my 12 vitamin apple saft carton juice drink

3-05-2009 @ 12:18PM

richelle said...

and i also find that cans cut my lip to often but conviniently my 12 vitamins apple saft juice drink is in a carton no more cut lips for me =)

oh and it also has a staw

3-05-2009 @ 12:21PM

Tomasine said...

i agree with ryan agreeing with jefro that coke has a 'crisp' taste and that pepsi lacks that sharp 'crisp' taste and pepsi loses its fizz all to quickly=)

6-02-2011 @ 3:50PM

tylerzerdy said...

pepsi all pepsi is sweeter then coke

4-10-2007 @ 5:10PM

KEN GOODMAN said...

COKE HAS BEEN MY FAVORITE FROM THE FIRST TASTE PEPSI SEEMS TO HAVE A SHARP TASTE DIFERENCE.NUMBER TWO JUST ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE THE COPY CAT...NOT QUITE THE 'REAL THING'

4-10-2007 @ 7:13PM

Jethro Mulva said...

I grew up on Pepsi, and it is my standard when it comes to cola. It has a sharp top note, and I could never find that taste in coke.

4-12-2007 @ 12:33PM

Mark Rowan said...

I was a Pepsi drinker from youth into my 30s, but when the need to drink "Diet" became apparent I preferred the Diet Coke taste, and continue to prefer diet Coke to Diet Pepsi to this day.

4-12-2007 @ 4:14PM

Bruce Henry said...

Marketing? What does marketing have to do with anything? Even Cindy Crawford couldn't get me to switch to Pepsi... but that was one damn fine commercial, I tell you what!

4-16-2007 @ 4:29PM

nen said...

Here's the thing. Coke is far superior to Pepsi in taste, if you're talking the regular, sugar-ful variety. But when it comes to diet versions, Diet Pepsi tastes a lot better than Diet Coke.

Odd but true.

4-18-2007 @ 5:31PM

Tami said...

It doesn't matter to me what the ads say or whose in them, I still won't drink Coke or Pepsi. I'm a Dr. Pepper Gal all the way. Coke tastes too acidy and Pepsi has a weird taste I can't even descibe. I love my sweet Dr. Pepper and no polar bear or famous actor will ever change that!

5-02-2007 @ 10:44AM

Karen said...

Coke will always be better than Pepsi. Simply put, Pepsi is the kid's version of Coke. It's cute to see them try though. And the reason they even sell as much as they do? They're prices are always cheaper. Some people just buy what they afford.

5-03-2007 @ 10:34AM

Sherry said...

COKE! I'm from the city Coke originated from and I know it's the REAL THING! Pepsi is just a copy cat and I can definately taste the difference.

5-08-2007 @ 8:39PM

mrbossman9669 said...

no soda in the world could beat the taste of pepsi

5-09-2007 @ 12:00AM

Chris said...

It isn't just about taste, it's much more than that. There was another test done in recent memory I read about and it wasn't blind. It was more about the image of what people thought about each brand as they drank it. They had a device attached to read brain activity when drinking and viewing the products, only Coca Cola produced results, none from Pepsi. Pepsi is clearly sweeter than Coca Cola, but when it comes down to it, big red is the winner in our minds.