How Coke Won the Cola Wars
Matthew Yglesias (Chicago Tribune-Digital Plus)
Pepsi is a quintessential example of a “challenger brand” that’s seeking an edge against a dominant, iconic firm. Marketing has often emphasized the idea of Pepsi as newer or more youthful as a way of turning its second-place status into an advantage. But Pepsi works as such a great example of a challenge because despite decades of efforts, none of its different slogans or logos or celebrity endorsements has ever put it in first place. This is a thought-provoking look at the history of the Cola Wars.
