Like Apple vs Microsoft and McDonald's vs Burger King, Coca-Cola vs Pepsi is one of the most famous brand rivalries around. One of said cola brands is arguably a little more ubiquitous than the other – and Pepsi is making light of its role as the underdog in a series of amusing new ads.
The ads feature packaging from fast food joints including Burger King, McDonald’s and Wendy’s – all places where Coke is served. But with some clever photography (and perhaps a touch of Photoshop), the Pepsi logo appears hidden in each. Like all of the best print ads, the campaign is delightfully playful and self-aware.
ALL burgers go #BetterWithPepsi…even when we’re not on the menu, we’re always in the picture. 😉 Try for yourself this Friday on #NationalBurgerDay and the Pepsi is on us pic.twitter.com/6KRF77ONnfMay 26, 2021
Designed to commemorate National Burger Day (it's today, in case you didn't know), the ads are part of the brand's #BetterWithPepsi campaign, which launched earlier in the year to encourage customers to drink Pepsi with their burger, instead of the more traditional Coke. (Quite how any of the included restaurants will feel about you bringing your own can of Pepsi to consume on site is another matter entirely.)
One of the images in Pepsi's new campaign, showing the Pepsi logo hiding within McDonald's packaging (Image credit: Pepsi)
The campaign is based around research which revealed that, after a blind taste test, 60% of participants preferred their Big Mac, Whopper or Dave’s Single with a Pepsi rather than a Coke. ’Even when we’re not on the menu, we’re always in the picture’, the ads read.
Like Burger King's mouldy whopper ad, Pepsi's is a fun swipe at the competition. That said, we're not convinced Coca-Cola will take any notice – the brand's been busy redesigning its own packaging lately. If you're inspired to create an ad of your own, check out today's best Adobe Creative Cloud deals below.
Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.
