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Cola wars 2.0: Pepsi crashes Coke’s ‘half-time’ party in soda smackdown

Coca-Cola’s campaign encourages consumers to pause and enjoy a Coke during halftime and other break moments. Pepsi’s response? Why wait for halftime when Pepsi is perfect for any time?

The Cola Wars have long been one of the most storied rivalries in advertising history.(Representational Image/File Photo)

The decades-old rivalry between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo has flared up once again, as the two beverage giants go head-to-head in a fresh advertising face-off. PepsiCo India’s latest campaign, “Anytime is Pepsi time,” is widely seen as a direct challenge to Coca-Cola’s recently launched “Half-time” campaign, which promotes Coke as the drink of choice during game breaks for the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.

Coca-Cola’s campaign, which has been prominently featured across television and digital platforms, encourages consumers to pause and enjoy a Coke during halftime and other break moments. Pepsi’s response? A cheeky rebuttal: why wait for halftime when Pepsi is perfect for any time?

It is a nostalgic move harkening to Pepsi’s now-iconic 1996 campaign, “Nothing official about it.” That campaign, featuring cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, and Mohammed Azharuddin, cleverly mocked Coca-Cola’s official sponsorship of the Cricket World Cup that year.

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“For those who remember, ‘Nothing Official About It’ wasn’t just a campaign—it was a cultural moment. It showed that sometimes, not trying too hard is exactly the winning move,” PepsiCo India said in a statement, framing its latest effort as a continuation of that legacy.

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The Cola Wars have long been one of the most storied rivalries in advertising history. The 1980s saw the infamous “Pepsi Challenge,” in which blind taste tests purportedly proved that consumers preferred Pepsi’s sweeter formula over Coke. Coca-Cola responded in 1985 with the controversial launch of “New Coke,” a reformulation that was met with such public outcry that the original formula was swiftly rebranded as “Coca-Cola Classic.”

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This latest battle is unfolding in the digital age, where brand rivalries play out in real-time on social media. Pepsi has doubled down on its message with a clever media takeover, rebranding the Times of India as “Any Times of India” in print and digital ads. The campaign highlights life’s many moments—“first time, thirst time, play time, crunch time, winner time, me time”—all reinforcing the idea that Pepsi is not just for special occasions, but for every occasion.

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Social media has been quick to pick sides, with some users applauding Pepsi’s nostalgic callback, while others revel in the sheer spectacle of the Cola Wars reigniting.

While Coca-Cola may be urging fans to savor halftime, Pepsi’s message is clear: why limit yourself to just one moment when you can have them all?

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