The long-running “Cola Wars” between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo has been called “a blood feud” and labeled “the most important struggle in the hi

One of the best ways to navigate a two-horse race? Being the third horse

submited by

Style Pass

2024-06-05 11:00:03

The long-running “Cola Wars” between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo has been called “a blood feud” and labeled “the most important struggle in the history of capitalism.”

The clash has always packed a delicious level of pettiness: lawsuits galore, cheap-shot ads, and refusals to refer to the competition by name.

Alas, it’s not really a clash anymore: Not only does Coca-Cola hold a market share over 2x greater than any competition, Pepsi isn’t even the clear second-place soda anymore.

Back in 2004, Dr Pepper was America’s sixth-favorite soda. Coming into 2024, the brand narrowly leapfrogged Pepsi for the No. 2 spot.

As Coke and Pepsi have battled out exclusive distribution deals with national dining chains — for example, Pepsi just wrested away Subway, Coke’s biggest account — Dr Pepper played nice with the competition.

The result: Both Coke and Pepsi fountains distribute Dr Pepper, and the drink is found on more US soda fountains than any other soft drink.