Business Matters

Coke Vs. Pepsi:

The Cola Wars
Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. What do you drink with your lunch?

2. Do you like soft drinks? Which ones?

When do you drink soda (soft drinks) most often?

3. Which do you prefer: Coke or Pepsi? Why?

4. Can you think of a Pepsi or Coca-Cola

advertisement? Describe it to your classmates.

5. What other beverages do you like to drink?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match up as many words and meanings as you can.

Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page 2.

1. carbonated a)  to get

2. confidently b)  a journey that involves a search

3. obtain c)  to broadcast to an audience

4. consume d)  to challenge

5. quest e)  a slogan or main idea for a particular event or thing

6. extend f)  combined with carbon dioxide

7. exceptionally g)  brand name design

8. air h)  with greatness, with superiority

9. theme i)  to take into the body (e.g., to drink or eat)

10. logo j)  to last or continue

11. rival k)  with boldness, with great belief in oneself

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 Coke Vs. Pepsi: The Cola Wars
Business Matters

Reading
THE COLA WARS

1. Soft drinks are hugely popular in the United States, carries the same tune as the hit “I’d Like to Teach
Canada, and the United Kingdom. Drinks that fall the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony),” which was
under this category are non-alcoholic, carbonated released later that year. Coca-Cola seems to be
beverages such as soda, sparkling water, iced tea, branded in the minds of the large soda-drinking
lemonade, and fruit punch. They can either be population.
caffeinated or decaffeinated and sweetened with
5. PepsiCo has also been a major player and spender
sugars or non-caloric sweeteners or unsweetened.
in advertising. Among the most popular are the
2. Although called different names depending on brand’s advertisements during the Super Bowl
the region, soda might be the most popular of championship football game. Pepsi has aired
the soft drinks. Soda (also called pop or soda pop) commercials every January for over 20 years. One
is packaged in a variety of formats such as 2-liter, of Pepsi’s themes was “The Joy of Pepsi,” which
24-ounce, and 20-ounce plastic bottles or in 12- came about in 2000 and was sung by the ever-
or 8-ounce aluminum cans. Customers can obtain popular and newsworthy Britney Spears. However,
cans in packs of 6, 12, or 24. Until the early 20th its slogans extend back years with such popular
century, when bottled soda sales began to rise, catch phrases as “Why Take Less When Pepsi’s
most sodas were consumed at a soda fountain. Best” in 1949 and one of its original themes from
In the second half of the 20th century, canned 1909 “Delicious and Healthful.” Like Coca-Cola,
sales gained a large share of the market, and Pepsi has had its share of successful songs and
aluminum cans have remained popular ever since. television spots. In fact, Pepsi is responsible for the
first advertising jingle broadcast around the nation.
3. Coke or Pepsi? Ask anyone this, and they’ll likely
The jingle accompanied the theme “Twice as Much
respond quickly and confidently with no question
for a Nickel.” Since 1940, Nickel Nickel has become
about why you are asking. The two competitors
a hit record and has been translated into over 55
spend large portions of their budgets on
languages. It has certainly made its mark in the
advertising in the never-ending quest to win the
world of soft drinks.
cola wars in taste, sales, and popularity.
6. Both brands change their slogans, advertising,
4. Coca-Cola has had numerous slogans extending
logos, and designs to make the soda-drinking
from the late 1800s to the present. Such early
public take notice. They each have caffeinated and
themes include “Good to the Last Drop” from 1907
decaffeinated and regular and diet versions as well
to “The Only Thing Like Coca-Cola is Coca-Cola
as several other types of soda. Coca-Cola is also
Itself” in 1942 to “You Can’t Beat the Real Thing” in
the producer of Sprite, Barq’s, Fresca, and Mello
1990. Coca-Cola’s television advertising has also
Yello. Pepsi rivals those products with sodas such
been exceptionally popular. One of the most
as 7-Up, Mountain Dew, Mug Root Beer, and the
popular is Coca-Cola’s “Hilltop” commercial in
more recent Sierra Mist. The war will continue with
which a multicultural group of youths sang “I’d Like
each side trading battle wins. As the war continues,
to Buy the World a Coke.” Although the commercial
so will the drinking. Soda drinkers still seem to
aired in 1971, many people can still hum a few
keep both brands alive.
bars or sing some of the words. This commercial

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 Coke Vs. Pepsi: The Cola Wars
Business Matters

Vocabulary Practice 1
A. Prefixes

Can you find three words in the first paragraph of the reading that have
prefixes meaning “opposite”? List the words and write a definition.

Word Definition

B. Questions

Answer these questions in your notebook

based on what you read in the main reading.

1. If an object or idea is kept alive, what is it?

2. What is a mark that a company can make?

3. If you are a major player, what kind of player are you?

4. What are the companies fighting for in the cola wars?

5. Define catch phrase and give an example.

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 Coke Vs. Pepsi: The Cola Wars
Business Matters

Pair Work (Partner A)

A. Reading B. Sharing Information

Read the short article below, but do not show it to your partner. Work with your partner.
Your partner will ask you questions about your article. Ask the questions below about
your partner’s reading. Write the
The Bottled Water Boom answers in your notebook.

Is bottled water on the verge of replacing soft drinks in the refrigerators 1. Who drinks sports drinks?
and hearts of the drinking public? Although bottled water has existed for
2. What companies
centuries, the boom has really only been noticeable since the year 2000,
make sports drinks?
when producers started making millions. In some countries, bottled water
is considered safer than water supplied via municipalities. The water is 3. Where do people
derived from several water sources: wells, springs, glaciers, or even the drink sports drinks?
tap. Many countries have strict government regulations in place so that
4. When did Gatorade
consumers will know where the water came from and if it is safe to drink.
come into the market?
Many beverage consumers who take nutrition into consideration prefer
bottled water over the popular, but unhealthier, alternatives such as sodas. 5. Why do athletes
Because of this, both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have entered the bottled drink sports drinks?
water marketplace and each company spends part of its advertising
budget on branding the products. Coca-Cola’s Dasani and PepsiCo’s
Aquafina are both popular brands of bottled water although they are
reprocessed from municipal water sources. Consumers who are health-
conscious need to check the expiration dates though since the plastic
bottles have been said to leak dangerous chemicals into the water. Some
water drinkers also verify the water sources. Another reason advertising
might be key to the companies who produce bottled waters is due to the
environmental impact on landfills. Regardless of the negatives, bottled
water sales seem to be on the rise. Whatever advertising is out there, its
branding has worked. Many people around the world buy bottled water
instead of pouring a free glass of water from their own kitchen sinks.

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 Coke Vs. Pepsi: The Cola Wars
Business Matters

Pair Work (Partner B)

A. Reading B. Sharing Information

Read the short article below, but do not show it to your partner. Work with your partner.
Your partner will ask you questions about your article. Ask the questions below about
your partner’s reading. Write the
Sports Drinks answers in your notebook.
Not Just for Athletes Anymore!
1. Who drinks bottled water?
A popular choice of moviegoers is a Coke or Pepsi to enjoy while watching
2. What companies
the latest blockbuster. Bottled water is often packed for picnics, hiking
make bottled water?
trips, or camping excursions. Sports drinks used to be the choice of
athletes because the formulas contain nutrients and electrolytes that 3. Where does bottled
athletes burn during heavy workouts and training for events such as water come from?
marathons. Gatorade is a well-known sports drink that has been marketed
4. When did bottled water
since the 1960s. However, with the stories that water might not be of high
become popular?
quality and soft drinks may not be as nutritionally sound, companies
realized they may be able to brand sports drinks for another market. 5. Why did companies feel they
Indeed, there is a market of people who prefer to have something with needed to make bottled water?
more nutritional value than a soft drink. Sports drink manufacturers have
responded by presenting the sports drink in low-sodium, low-calorie
versions to appeal to this consumer market. Sports drinks are now being
consumed by people in all sorts of places. It’s not unusual to see someone
with a sports drink at the movies, on a picnic, or at a university lecture hall.
PepsiCo produces Gatorade and has re-branded it to appeal to athletes
and non-athletes alike. Coca-Cola makes Powerade. Other companies
are competing for the sports drink market as well: Big Red Inc. produces
All Sport, PacificHealth Laboratories makes Accelerade, and Suntory
manufacturers Lucozade. More and more people are bypassing soft drinks
and opting for a sports drink.

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 Coke Vs. Pepsi: The Cola Wars
Business Matters

Vocabulary Practice 2
Match the words in the left column with the best definition
in the right column. If you don’t know the answer, scan the pair
work readings again and try to guess the meaning from context.

1. on the verge a)  a person who buys and/or uses

2. municipality b)  to confirm

3. tap c)  something that is very successful (e.g., a popular movie)

4. regulation d)  a healthy ingredient

5. consumer e)  an urban city or town with a government

6. alternative f)  ions that help regulate metabolic functions in athletes

7. verify g)  a trip taken outside of a facility such as a workplace, school, or hotel

8. impact h)  to make desirable

9. blockbuster i)  almost at the starting or end point

10. excursion j)  to choose

11. formula k)  an official rule

12. nutrient l)  a combination of ingredients

13. electrolytes m)  another choice

14. opt n)  the effect on someone or something

15. appeal o)  a device that controls the flow of liquid

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 Coke Vs. Pepsi: The Cola Wars
Business Matters

Writing
Based on your notes from the pair work reading and the main reading,
choose which type of drink you think is best. Write a persuasive
paragraph with your reasons for your choice.

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 Coke Vs. Pepsi: The Cola Wars
Business Matters

Group Work
A. Survey

Talk to ten of your classmates Sample Questions

or other students at the school.
Find out what drinks are popular. 1. Do you like soft drinks?

2. Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi? Why?

3. Do you like other soft drinks? Which ones?

4. Do you drink bottled water?

5. What is your favorite brand of bottled water? Why?

6. What sports drinks are you familiar with?

7. Do you drink sports drinks? Which brands? Why?

8. If you had to choose between a soft drink, a bottle of

water, or a sports drink, which would you choose? Why?

9. Have you seen any advertising for soft drinks?

Bottled water? Sports drinks?

10. Which company do you think advertises the most?

11. What is your favorite drink commercial?

B. Display Your Data

Collect your data from one question in Part A and 

create a chart or graph that details your results.

Examples:

44% prefer Pepsi 56% prefer Coke

15% would choose
a sports drink

25% would choose

a soft drink

60% would choose

bottled water

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