The Cola Wars: Advertising Showdowns and Taste Tests

It's a battle that's been going on for well over a century featuring two of the biggest brands of all time. But in the 1980s--the war really heated up...

Today we look back on the battle between Coke and Pepsi during a transformative time for not just the two colas, but for society in general.

It's the story that involves some of the most iconic commercials of all time, a nationwide taste test challenge (that may have been unfair), a whole new generation, and the King of Pop.

The Cola Wars of the 80s also include a war within a war, as the diet cola market (thanks to the shady approval of one of the most controversial food additives in history) grew bigger than ever. 

It's the story of cocaine, brand identity, buying a feeling, the incredible importance of being "cool," and one of the biggest corporate blunders in history... and it all played out during the 1980s.

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