The so-called ‘Cola War’ or Pepsi vs Coca-Cola has become a bit of a one-sided fight. Only Pepsi tends to throw punches these days. For the most part, Coca-Cola remains above the whole thing while Pepsi keeps trolling. That sometimes leaves the latter looking like a permanent challenger brand with little else to say, a bit like Burger King vs McDonald’s (see our piece on big brand battles)
But there was a time not so long ago when Pepsi did actually make a very creative response to Coca-Cola’s status as the biggest selling cola brand, and it’s still winning people over on social media today.
Pepsi’s Vending Machine ad was released after Coca-Cola announced that it sold four times as much as Pepsi in 2001. The rival cola brand has some fun with that claim by showing a young boy buy two cans of Coca-Cola from a vending machine only to use them as stilts so he can reach the Pepsi button.
Showing the competitor is always a risky strategy in advertising, and it could be argued that Pepsi comes across as a bit of a sore loser here. But it’s an amusing riposte, suggesting not only that kids prefer Pepsi, but that they have such little interest in Coca-Cola that they would leave two cans in the street. How plausible that seems may depend on your own taste buds.
For more on advertising, see our pick of the best billboard ads and FCB London’s handy guide to advertising jargon.
