Case 2: Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in the Twenty-First Century
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Focus Questions:
1. Why is the soft drink industry so profitable?
2. Compare the economics of the concentrate business to the bottling business. Why is the profitability so different?
3. How has the competition between Coke and Pepsi affected the industry’s profitability?
4. Can Coke and Pepsi sustain their profits in the wake of flattening demand and the growing popularity of non-carbonated drinks?
Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in the Twenty-First Century
DAVID B. YOFFIE
Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in the Twenty-First Century
For over a century, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola vied for “throat share” of the world’s beverage market. The most intense battles of the cola wars were fought over the $60-billion industry in the United States, where the average American consumed 53 gallons of carbonated soft drinks (CSD) per year. In a “carefully waged competitive struggle,” from 1975 to 1995 both Coke and Pepsi achieved average annual growth of around 10% as both U.S. and worldwide CSD consumption consistently rose. According to Roger Enrico, former CEO of Pepsi-Cola:
The warfare must be perceived as a continuing battle without blood. Without Coke, Pepsi would have a tough time being an original and lively competitor. The more successful they are, the sharper we have to be. If the Coca-Cola company didn’t exist, we’d pray for someone to invent them. And on the other side of the fence, I’m sure the folks at Coke would say that nothing contributes as much to the present-day success of the Coca-Cola company than . . . Pepsi.1
This cozy relationship was threatened in the late 1990s, however, when U.S. CSD consumption dropped for two consecutive years and worldwide shipments slowed for both Coke and Pepsi. In response, both firms began to modify their bottling, pricing, and brand strategies. They also looked to emerging international markets to fuel growth and broadened their brand portfolios to include non-carbonated beverages like tea, juice, sports drinks, and bottled water.
As the cola wars continued into the twenty-first century, the cola giants faced new challenges: Could they boost flagging domestic cola sales? Where could they find new revenue streams? Was their era of sustained growth and profitability coming to a close, or was this apparent slowdown just another blip in the course of Coke’s and Pepsi’s enviable performance?