Coke more popular than Pepsi, as advertising battle continues

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Coca-Cola reported a 5 percent increase in worldwide growth in the second quarter of 2010, while Pepsico declined 3 percent; Coca-Cola attributes its success to World Cup sponsorship but both brands are upping the advertising stakes.

On July 21 soft drink manufacturer Coca-Cola reported a 5 percent increase in worldwide growth for the second quarter of 2010; the company attributes this to its World Cup sponsorship. On July 20 rival beverage producer Pepsico reported that its income had fallen by 3 percent during the same period according to industry magazine Marketing Week.

Coca-Cola's market grew 10 percent in Eurasia and Africa, 6 percent in Russia, 13 percent in Brazil, 5 percent in Mexico and 6 percent in China. Growth in Europe, apart from Germany, was down 1 percent, which the company attributed to ‘continued challenging economic conditions'.

Long time competitors Pepsico and Coca-cola have both recently experienced differing success in their advertising campaigns. Coca-cola in promotion of its Dr. Pepper brand ran an advertising campaign on social networking site Facebook, encouraging users to allow ‘Dr. Pepper' to post embarrassing statuses on their profile for a chance to win £1000 (€1187), however the campaign had to be scrapped when an automatically generated status referencing a porn film appeared on a 14-year-old's Facebook page.

Pepsico launched a remake of an old advertisement referencing rival Coca-cola on July 19. The video shows a driver transporting Pepsi's low calorie drink Pepsi Max pull alongside a truck of rival brand Coke Zero at a diner. Inside the two drivers then try each other's drinks before a confrontation ensues over ownership of the Pepsi Max and both drivers tumble through the window.

Internet forum users generally acknowledge the advertisement to be effective, however some complain of the unoriginality of the re-make. The campaign is due to be extended with exclusive releases across social media sites Facebook and You Tube.

Coca-Cola's Facebook page has 8,254,786 fans and Pepsi 814,785 fans as part of its Facebook ‘Refresh' project which gives grants to causes deemed worthy by the public. Unofficial Facebook application Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi has 2, 984 active monthly users.