Marketing wars heat up as Pepsi’s play leaves netizens buzzing

New Delhi: Soon after PepsiCo India unleashed its salvo with the “Anytime is Pepsi Time” campaign — taking a calculated swipe at Coca-Cola’s “Half Time” sports-centric push — marketing veteran Manish Rohilla turned the fizz up a notch on LinkedIn. 

The Manager of Marketing & Corporate Communication at Green Power International Pvt. Ltd. shared on Wednesday a Coca-Cola’s LinkedIn job listing for a marketing role with a little sly and tongue-in-cheek remark. 

Calling it a ‘Career Alert’, Rohilla wrote, “After yesterday’s ad, Coca-Cola is now hiring for Director - Marketing & Creative! Meanwhile, over at PepsiCo India… they’re just sipping their cola, watching the drama unfold, and proving once again why they’re the real MVPs – from Half Time to Anytime!”

Rohilla also tagged PepsiCo India in his post, which used the campaign hashtag – #AnytimeIsPepsiTime.

Industry observers hailed it as a 'marketing coup,' with one noting, “Pepsi landed the first blow in this latest round of the cola clash.”

The ad, which temporarily rebranded the newspaper as “Any Times of India,” positioned Pepsi as the drink for every moment — a cheeky rebuttal to Coca-Cola’s “Half Time” campaign, rolled out last month to tie the brand to high-energy sports breaks during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. 

Rohilla’s jab exploded online, with netizens reveling in the drama. 

Reacting to the post, a Gurugram-based entrepreneur Mayank Agarwal wrote, “The Cola Wars keep getting better! Keep them coming…”

Agarwal also posted a short analysis praising the campaign for its smart positioning.

Another marketing buff Roma Punjabi called it hilarious.

Sharing Rohilla’s post, marketing veteran Akash Sahu quipped asking if the job posting was a correlation or causation.

The episode underscores Pepsi’s decades-long tradition of trolling Coca-Cola, a tactic that traces back to its iconic 1996 “Nothing Official About It” campaign.

That effort, featuring cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, mocked Coke’s official Cricket World Cup sponsorship with irreverent flair, cementing Pepsi’s reputation as the fizzy provocateur.

As BestMediaInfo.com noted, “From witty one-liners to celebrity-fuelled rivalries, the battle between these two cola giants has defined India’s marketing landscape for decades—and the latest round is just another chapter in their fizz-filled feud.”

Crafted by Havas Creative India, Pepsi’s move was lauded by Anupama Ramaswamy, Chief Creative Officer and Joint MD at Havas, who said, “With the brand’s challenger mindset at the core, we decided to seize the day. Back in the 1950s, Pepsi had said, “Any weather is Pepsi weather.” Carrying that spirit forward, we conceptualised, “Any time is Pepsi time.” Because Pepsi is for every moment that matters.”

Pepsi’s latest campaign arrives amid a heating cola war, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and an early summer onset intensifying the stakes in the Rs 1.37 lakh crore non-alcoholic beverage market. 

Coca-Cola’s “Half Time” push aimed to own India’s sports-obsessed culture, but Pepsi’s counter has shifted the narrative. 

Meanwhile, market dynamics are shifting. 

Reliance’s Campa Cola, priced aggressively at Rs 10 for 200 ml against Coke and Pepsi’s Rs 20 for 250 ml, has replaced Thums Up as IPL 2025’s Co-Presenting Sponsor, adding pressure on the big two.