A star in an advertisement? Nothing is more normal today. But a few decades ago, that was not a given. As the documentary shows Pepsi vs Cola, Pepsi was one of the first to use the services of a VIP to extol its merits. It was necessary to fight against his eternal rival, the almighty Coca…
Because throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the two brands engaged in a merciless “soda war”, where all shots (down) were allowed. This comical conflict has captivated the United States and made the media headlines. And also, contributed to shaping marketing as we know it today, deploying treasures of advertising ingenuity.
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In this war of images, Pepsi was particularly inventive. In 1983, its new CEO, Roger Enrico, a “warrior of the cola” very focused on communication, thinks that it is essential to reach out to young people to beat the pawn in Coca.
For that, he has the good idea to hire their idol, Michael Jackson, with a huge contract of 5 million dollars (huge, for the time). Pepsi films an ambitious clip ad with Michael singing on the music of Billie jean, “You are the Pepsi generation”.
This first is like a bomb, the effects of which are still felt today, explains the documentary. Pop marketing was born.
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During this time, Coca places its pawns, or rather its bottles, everywhere in the cinema, touching an older audience with its product placements. But Pepsi continues to nibble on market share.
To drive the nail in, the latter released heavy artillery to seduce young people, staging Tina Turner, David Bowie, Lionel Richie or Michael J. Fox (who also drinks Pepsi in Back to the future).
Rather than boasting about a taste, Pepsi praises a state of mind: young culture. His advertisements shout: rebel, don’t drink the same soda as your parents.
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It is a hard blow for Coca, who embodies the contraryestablishment. While the latter remains relatively traditional, Pepsi goes in all directions and even hires great directors like Ridley Scott.
“This kind of rivalry defines a nation. It clearly defined America “, advises advertiser Scott Miller in the documentary. A rivalry that has greatly weakened the Coca Empire over the years (from 60% market share in the 1950s to 22 in 1984), to the point that in 1985, it even changed its historical recipe, before back pedal.
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This battle (of which Coca, the world leader, is still the winner) had the merit of leaving memorable advertisements. Some cults, like that of Pepsi in 1985, in which an archaeologist of the future finds a bottle of Coke and wonders what it is…
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Pepsi vs Coca – The Cola War, Documentary, 84 min, in July on PLANÈTE +.
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