The long-standing rivalry between beverage giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo was reignited this year with a fresh advertising battle. PepsiCo India recently launched its “Anytime is Pepsi Time” campaign, taking direct aim at Coca-Cola’s “Half-Time” campaign for the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy tournament. 

Coca-Cola’s “Half-Time” campaign, launched a month ago across TV and digital platforms, encourages consumers to enjoy a Coke during pause moments, such as half-time breaks during matches. But Pepsi flipped the script. Instead of waiting for “half-time,” why not enjoy a Pepsi “any time”?

Pepsi’s move evoked nostalgia for its 1996 “Nothing Official About It” campaign starring cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, and Mohammed Azharuddin, which cleverly took on Coca-Cola’s official sponsorship of the cricket World Cup that year, jointly hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 

“For those who remember, ‘Nothing Official About It’ wasn’t just a campaign – it was a cultural moment. A take from the brand that turned into an obsession amongst the audience, proving that sometimes, not trying too hard is exactly the winning move. And now, decades later, Pepsi seems to be channelling that same effortless confidence,” said PepsiCo in a statement.

The rivalry between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo is one of the most famous in advertising history. The so-called ‘Cola Wars’ peaked in the 1980s when Pepsi launched the “Pepsi Challenge,” a blind taste test showing consumers preferred Pepsi’s sweeter taste over Coke. 

This led Coca-Cola to introduce “New Coke” in 1985 – a remaking that famously backfired when consumers demanded the return of the original formula, now branded as “Coca-Cola Classic.”

Coca-Cola, which originated in 1886, was first sold by a pharmacist in Columbus, Georgia. Its original recipe included coca leaf extract, which contained small amounts of cocaine until 1929. Pepsi was invented in 1893 by a North Carolina pharmacist and originally named “Brad’s Drink” before rebranding as Pepsi-Cola in 1898.