Everything You Need To Know About The Cola Wars
While people can laughingly debate the use of soda or pop terminology, The Cola Wars have never gone flat. Many beverage drinkers pick a side, Coca-Cola or Pepsi, and might not waiver on their drinking loyalty.
“You could argue that this might have been the biggest thing to happen in the cola wars. Advertising changed forever.”
Specifically, this series discusses one battle in the ongoing Cola Wars. In an attempt to woo younger customers to the taste of a new generation, Pepsi launched a media campaign that rewarded purchases with "stuff." As consumers earned the points, they were exchanged for various items, per Yahoo News. One particular commercial ended with the proposition that 7 million points could be redeemed for a Harrier Jet. Although few people might have believed that a kid flew a military-grade jet to school, it did not deter Leonard's quest to gather sufficient points for the purchase, and he took the battle to court.
Although Pepsi never had to provide Leonard with a real fighter jet since it was deemed obviously a joke, the lawsuit changed companies' disclosure requirements. Just like that warning on the side of a coffee cup informs the drinker of a hot beverage, that minuscule font scrolling during a commercial should not be skipped over.
Will The Cola Wars ever declare a winner?
As GoBankingRates chronicled, celebrity endorsements, creative tag lines, and even curious promotions look to supplement sales. While statistics and performance can have one brand reign supreme, that precarious position is not permanent. When the next campaign purports that food tastes better with a particular beverage or the world is a happier place everyone sings in perfect harmony, the reality is that there is no detente in these beverage battles. Unlike the Cold War, the Cola Wars will seemingly have no end in sight.
