Pepsi Is Bringing Back Its Legendary Pepsi Challenge To Kick Off Super Bowl Weekend
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Pepsi Challenge, the brand is bringing the challenge back, pitting zero-sugar versions of Coca-Cola and Pepsi against each other in live taste tests — and this time you can get in on the action. Beginning in the days leading up to Super Bowl LIX and continuing in March 2025, Pepsi will invite football fans and others to take part in a series of blind taste tests, sampling Pepsi Zero Sugar and Coke Zero. The company is confident the challenge will prove that Pepsi Zero Sugar is better tasting than its competitor. Along the way, participants can expect free bottles, limited-edition merchandise, prizes, and more.
In 1975, the original Pepsi Challenge essentially kicked off the so-called Cola Wars of the 1980s. The marketing campaign was bold, since Coca-Cola had held the majority share of the industry for decades. Pepsi conducted blind taste tests across the country, having participants sip the two unlabeled colas side-by-side. An ad campaign tracked progress, and by the end of the challenge, Pepsi had come out the victor, and sales were up. The campaign was so successful that the Pepsi Challenge led Coke to an identity crisis and the launch of the short-lived New Coke, featuring a completely different formula. Coca Cola wasn't the only brand between the two to launch a now-discontinued soda, though: Neither Pepsi A.M. (1989) nor Diet Pepsi Jazz (2006) made the cut, and so the wars continue.
How the new Pepsi Challenge will work
According to the company, the new Pepsi Challenge, which will feature a flavor showdown between Coke Zero and Pepsi Zero Sugar, kicks off during Super Bowl weekend, spanning February 6 to 9, 2025, at the temporarily rebranded Chips and Sips Quarter of New Orleans at 500 Decatur Street. The game-related pop-up in New Orleans' French Quarter includes free food and drink experiences featuring Frito-Lay brands like Tostitos, Lay's, Doritos, and Cheetos (all owned by PepsiCo). Participants in the Pepsi Challenge will be given two cups, labeled only Cup A and Cup B, containing the competing zero-sugar colas. When they make a selection, those who pick Pepsi Zero Sugar as their favorite will enjoy brief celebrations, but everyone will receive free bottles of Pepsi Zero Sugar regardless of their choice.
The contest then hits the road in March 2025, visiting several cities, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Miami, New York City, and Baltimore. If you'd like to see how close the challenge will get to you, visit Pepsichallenge.com, or look for updates on the brand's social media accounts. Even if you don't get to join the taste tests, you can enter for a chance to win DIY Pepsi Challenge Kits and limited-edition Pepsi Challenge merchandise at Pepsi.com.