Coca-Cola and PepsiCo’s rivalry reignited with Pepsi’s “Anytime is Pepsi Time” campaign, countering Coke’s “Half-Time” promotion during the ICC Champions Trophy. Coke’s campaign encourages refreshing breaks, while Pepsi promotes enjoyment at any moment, echoing its nostalgic 1996 campaign “Nothing Official About It.” This rivalry, also known as the ‘Cola Wars,’ peaked in the 1980s with Pepsi’s blind taste tests leading to Coca-Cola’s regrettable “New Coke” introduction. Originating in the late 19th century, both brands have evolved from their humble beginnings to become iconic players in the beverage industry, each with rich advertising histories and cultural significance.
New Delhi:
The age-old competition between beverage titans Coca-Cola and PepsiCo has been rekindled this year through a new advertising showdown. PepsiCo India has recently rolled out its “Anytime is Pepsi Time” campaign, directly challenging Coca-Cola’s “Half-Time” campaign during the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy tournament.
Coca-Cola’s “Half-Time” campaign, unveiled a month ago across television and digital channels, invites consumers to savor a Coke during pause moments, such as halftime breaks in matches. However, Pepsi has changed the game. Rather than waiting for “half-time,” it suggests enjoying a Pepsi “any time”!
Pepsi’s initiative harkens back to its memorable 1996 “Nothing Official About It” campaign featuring cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, and Mohammed Azharuddin, which cleverly countered Coca-Cola’s official sponsorship of that year’s cricket World Cup co-hosted by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
“For those who recall, ‘Nothing Official About It’ was more than just an advertising campaign – it was a cultural phenomenon. It became an obsession among the audience, highlighting that sometimes, subtlety is the winning strategy. Now, decades later, Pepsi appears to be tapping into that same laid-back confidence,” PepsiCo stated.
The competition between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo is one of the most legendary in marketing history. The so-called ‘Cola Wars’ reached their zenith in the 1980s when Pepsi introduced the “Pepsi Challenge,” a blind taste test showing that consumers favored Pepsi’s sweeter flavor over Coke’s.
This prompted Coca-Cola to launch “New Coke” in 1985 – a rebranding that notoriously failed when consumers called for the return of the original formula, now known as “Coca-Cola Classic.”
Coca-Cola, which was created in 1886, was first sold by a pharmacist in Columbus, Georgia, and its original recipe included coca leaf extract, which contained trace amounts of cocaine until 1929. Pepsi was invented in 1893 by a pharmacist in North Carolina, initially known as “Brad’s Drink” before rebranding as Pepsi-Cola in 1898.