Pepsi and Coca Cola have been at it for a long time. Both companies are over 100 years old and in their own way, have dominated the soft drink market with their rivalry. It's even come to the point where both companies produce similar soft drink flavors with different titles (ex. Sprite and Sierra Mist). Plus, restaurants will serve either Coke or Pepsi, and it is very rare (especially in the big name restaurants) to see a restaurant offer Coke and Pepsi owned soft drinks. This is partly due to the fact that many people will drink either/or and not both. But what do Flagler students prefer? Even though campus dining options serve Coke products, do students prefer Pepsi products? Or are they satisfied with drinking the Coke products that Flagler offers? It's time to decide.
Here's how it'll work: This isn't only about Coke and Pepsi. To fully determine a winner, it seems appropriate to look at not just Coke and Pepsi, but the other beverages made by both companies. For example, it's just as important to know whether students prefer to drink Mellow Yellow (owned by Coke) or Mountain Dew (owned by Pepsi). So I went around and asked 50 students their preferences on the similar soft drinks that Coke and Pepsi had to offer.
After I introduce two similar drinks produced by Pepsi and Coke, I'll reveal the results of the poll and that will be followed by my opinion on the two beverages. At the end the results will be analyzed and based on the analysis, a winner will be crowned. If there is one.
Sierra Mist vs. Sprite
Survey Results: Even thought Sprite won this one 34-16, this one was interesting. For many people, it wasn't much of a debate. This was the one where most people would answer right away, meaning that the other wasn't an option. On the other hand, for those who didn't answer right away, they had to think hard about it before answering, some even asking if they could choose both.
My opinion: For most of my younger years, Sprite was my all time favorite soda. I literally wouldn't drink any soda unless it was a Sprite. Now, 10 years later, I'd still take a Sprite over Sierra Mist.
Mountain Dew vs. Mellow Yellow
Survey Results: This one was slightly more decisive than the Sprite/Sierra Mist results: Mountain Dew won 35-15. Some people weren't familiar with Mellow Yellow while others didn't really like either soda but chose the one they hated less. One person, however, said that anyone who chooses Mellow Yellow is wrong, and that you only drink it when you go to a movie theater. Well, try saying that to the 15 people who'd drink Mellow Yellow over Mountain dew.
My opinion: Mountain Dew hands down. Since about mid-middle school, when I stopped drinking only Sprite, Mountain Dew has been my go to soda. Even now, it is my all time favorite soda. And I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Crush vs. Fanta
Survey Results: This was the one that people would take the most time deciding on. The two orange sodas taste almost exactly alike to many people. Despite the near indecision, Fanta took this one 35-15.
My opinion: To me, there isn't much of a difference between Fanta and Crush. When I'm in the mood for orange soda, I'll take either. But if I had to choose one, it would have to be Fanta, primarily because I've had it more than Crush.
Gatorade vs. Powerade
Survey results: With Gatorade being owned by Pepsi and Powerade being owned by Coke, it seemed fitting to include the two rivaling sports drinks and ask students which one they prefer. One interesting response I got for this one was by a student who said that generally he prefers Gatorade, but will drink Powerade only when he's hung over. That didn't change the results of the poll though. Out of all the drink surveys featured in this article, this one featured the biggest win...but not by much. Gatorade ended up winning over Powerade 36-14.
My opinion: This one isn't really that hard for me. Gatorade has a fuller, energizing taste while Powerade kind of tastes a little empty.But one thing (at least for me) that helps Powerade is that it's generally cheaper than Gatorade, which really helped me out when I was on a budget and needed to buy sports drinks for band camp (yes, I was a band nerd). I'm gonna have to agree with the majority again for this one.
Tropicana vs. Minute Maid
Survey Results: Even though some people needed clarifications on the brands (Tropicana is owned by Pepsi and Minute Maid is owned by Coca Cola), this one was the closest survey of all the ones in this article: Tropicana won this one 27-23. When most people thought of Minute Maid, they thought of Lemonade and when they thought of Tropicana, they thought of fruit juice. So in this case, the fruit juice won.
My opinion: I do agree with the statement that Tropicana is definitely more fruity than Minute Maid. However, Minute Maid also makes Hi-C, and I'd prefer that over Tropicana's juices, which are also loaded with sugar. So I'll have to agree with the (slight) minority on this one and pick Minute Maid.
Pepsi vs. Coca Cola
Survey Results: Time for the big question: Pepsi or Coke? When I asked students this, there was no debate in their mind, they knew right away which one they preferred, sort of like the Sierra Mist/Sprite. But usually, they were really adamant about it and if they chose one, they would never think about picking the other. For example, someone who chose Coke said Coke tastes like Family while Pepsi tastes like dirt. Someone who chose Pepsi said that he only drinks Pepsi and Coke is really bland. When I asked this one to people who were in a group and there were different responses, they'd give each other strange looks, wondering why their friend chose the different soda. So which one took the gold? Well, in the beginning stages of the survey, it was close. Even tied at points. But Coke started to pull away and it was over after that. The final results were 32-18 with Coke being the victor.
My opinion: For the longest time, I could not taste a difference between the sodas. However, starting in high school, I begin to notice a difference: Pepsi is slightly sweeter. With that, I noticed something else: I liked the sweeter taste of Pepsi. Since then, I've been in Pepsi paradise.
The Winner
Looking at the results broadly, the two brands each won three of the surveys, resulting in a tie. Sprite, Fanta and Coke won for the Coca Cola Company while Mountain Dew, Gatorade and Tropicana won it for the PepsiCo Company. My results also tied up, for I chose three Coke drinks and three Pepsi drinks. If the results are added up, they tell a different story. After adding up the direct result from each survey, Coca Cola comes out on top with a 153-147 victory. I also took a look at the person to person results, seeing which people chose majority Coke products or majority Pepsi products. In the end, 13 people chose mostly Pepsi products, 17 people chose mostly Coke products and 20 people chose three of each. So, it can be safely said that based on the results of the 50 students I approached, Coke is the winner.
