After a century-long pitched battle with billions spent on advertising, taste tests, reformulations and several spectacular marketing blowouts, the Cola Wars appear to have fizzled out. It not only defined the soft drink industry but set the standard for marketing and advertising across multiple sectors. According to Pepsi, a majority of Americans chose its product over Coke and there was some truth to the claim. Pepsi ParadoxWhy people often chose Pepsi over Coke in blind tastings but preferred to buy Coke became known as the “Pepsi Paradox”. One neuroscientific study indicated Coke’s branding exerted a stronger emotional response that effectively overrode the blind taste preference.

Source: The Irish Times December 19, 2025 19:42 UTC