It's been a long time, but Coke and Pepsi are back at it again. The cola wars, this time with a zero calorie angle, are on.
Pepsi has sparked the new conflict with the release of its "Diner" commercial showing a driver for Coca-Cola drinking Pepsi MAX instead of Coke Zero.
"Doesn't a fight require two sides? As far as we can tell, the two drivers in this ad may be the only remaining Pepsi MAX drinkers," Coca-Cola North America spokesperson Scott Williamson told The Associated Press.
Coca-Cola may not be willing to fight with Pepsi on this one as its Coke Zero has sales roughly five times its much smaller rival.
"We think now is the time to start banging on the drum, on the fact that we believe we have a great tasting, zero-calorie soda and we're ready to take on the competition," Pepsi spokesperson Melisa Tezanos told the AP. "
Lauren Hobart, chief marketing officer of the sparkling brands division of PepsiCo, told The New York Times, "People love the cola wars. People identify themselves in many cases as 'I'm a Pepsi person' or 'I'm a Coke person.' The rivalry is just a very integral part of our heritage for both Pepsi and Coke."
Discussion Questions: Will Coke and/or Pepsi benefit from a new cola war? Who won the previous one?