A Comparison Of Coca-Cola And Pepsi

Coca Cola and Pepsi, two iconic brands with a similar product; cola, the beverage that has defined many countries all over the world since the 20th century. Established in 1886 and 1903, Coke and Pepsi have been competing for consumers and shelf space ever since. Today, they have almost equal shares of the beverage market.

In the beginning of 2011, Coca Cola gained 35 percent of beverage preference, a slightly larger share than Pepsi 's 32.9 percent. This was largely the result of aggressive marketing campaigns, many of them aimed at young consumers who have yet to establish brand loyalty. These consumers include the 21.2 million 18 to 22 years olds who are the "Hooked Up" Generation and the 15 million college students who have especially high demand for the high-energy caffeine beverages that are the forte of both Coca Cola and Pepsi.

Rather than claiming that Pepsi was just as good as Coke, the campaign set out to convince consumers that Pepsi drinkers were different than the older, more traditional folks who bought Coke. For a long time, the image of Pepsi drinkers being younger at heart prevailed in the media, from the revitalization of the "Pepsi Generation" campaign in the 1980s, to the commercials starring Michael Jackson and Madonna in the 1990s. In the mid-2000s, Britney Spears resuscitated the phrase "For Those Who Think Young" in her retro commercials for Pepsi. (Jack Myers,