Diet-Coke defeats Pepsi as the world’s second most favorite soft-drink

In the big cola-war, Coca-Cola dominates the top two positions and remains the most popular brand worldwide. Flagship Coke rules the first, while diet-coke ousts Pepsi to takeover the second rank, in the last year.

The latest data shows, Coca-Cola’s flagship brand as the most favorite of all colas, the Company sold 1.6 billion cases of beverage, holding 17 percent of the industry share, in 2010.

To include this, Coke’s cut throat rival brand Pepsi lost its second position over Diet-Coke by 0.4 percent, previous year.

Diet Coke stood as the second most popular aerated beverage notching up 9.9 percent market share. While, diet-coke managed 9.5 percent, a 4.8 percent shrink since 2009.

Pepsi’s defeat is a landmark U-Turn and shows an apparent change of heart in the consumers’ preference for carbonated soft drinks.

Why Pepsi lost its position to Diet-Coke?
As per John Sicher, the editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, Pepsi has successfully grasped and enjoyed its second place "for decades.”

However, Pepsi’s new diversion and focus on Pepsi Refresh Project marketing campaign, for community service, could be held responsible for the Company’s declined in sales.

Sicher added that though Pepsi Inc’s feat till date is greatly commendable, the company somehow "in the cola wars, it didn't give the Pepsi brand the justice it deserves."

Meanwhile, none of the Pepsi Inc.’s delegates were, at once, available for comment on the decline in company’s sales.

Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper and Sprite made it to the topmost six individual brands.

Aerated-drink industry declines sine 2004
Overall, soft-drink beverage industry felt a slight decline in the business, with 0.5 percent cut down in sales volume. Combining all the brands, the industry sold 9.4 billion cases of beverages, in 2010.

Since last 7 years, the aerated drinks business has been showing a downwards slope in total sales volume.

In 2004 the industry reached its peak with roughly 10.2 billion cases of sales.