Abstract

When the cola giants, Pepsi and Coke, entered the Indian market, they brought with them the cola wars that had become part of global folklore. This case study details the various battles fought in India by the two rivals with its focus on the publicity campaigns where the two sought to steal each other’s fizz. The case also outlines battles fought on other fronts - conflicts with bottles, product modifications, attempts to steal the rival’s employees and other mini wars. On the whole, the case attem-pts to provide a comprehensive perspective regarding the dimensions of the cola wars and the direction in which they are heading.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Marketing warfare, Comparative advertising.

Keywords

Pepsi, Coke, Indian market, cola wars, global folklore, India, publicity campaigns, fizz, conflicts, bottles, product modifications, comprehensive perspective, cola wars, comparative advertising, merits, demerits, marketing warfare, competitive market