COKE VS. PEPSI: The Story Behind The Neverending 'Cola Wars' (original) (raw)
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Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been battling each other for more than a century.
It's a legendary brand rivalry.
The fight has often gotten personal. Most recently, Pepsi went after Coke's famed mascots: the polar bears and Santa. The feud has even spilled over into outer space.
How did it end up this way?
CnnTees put together an infographic entitled "The Soda Wars" that includes everything you'd ever want to know about the history of the Coke vs. Pepsi.
The saga began in 1886, when John S. Pemberton developed the original recipe for Coke. Here's what was in it:
Pepsi-Cola was created in 13 years later by pharmacist Caleb Bradham
Coca-Cola was already selling a million gallons per year by the time Pepsi came to be
Coke developed its iconic contour bottle, got big name endorsements and expanded to Europe. Meanwhile, Pepsi went bankrupt because of WWI
Pepsi went bankrupt again eight years later, but this time it rebounded
During WWII, Pepsi amped up its advertising and started selling its drink in cans
In the 50s, Coke ads started hitting TV, while Pepsi rebranded to try to keep up
Coke decided to go public in 1962, on the heels of its launch of Sprite, which would become one of its most successful brands
Pepsi merged with Frito Lay in the mid-60s to create PepsiCo, setting the stage for the war today. Diet drinks popped up too, creating a whole new soda segment
Here are their stock values over the years. Pepsi's successful foray into the snack food biz with Frito Lay have helped it significantly, especially in the past decade. Meanwhile, Coke has stayed strictly in beverages
Here are some of Coke's biggest brands — 15 of them have reached $1 billion or more in retail sales
Though Pepsi's beverage brands may not be as strong, its snack food business is enormous
Each brand has had a brigade of celebrities on their side. Here are some famous faces that endorsed Coke:
Both brands have made tons of changes to their logos throughout their histories. Neither look anything like they did originally
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