Diet Coke Takes Lead in Cola Wars

ATLANTA -- The cola wars are as old as time, and 2010 numbers show that Diet Coke has pulled head of Pepsi-Cola to become the No. 2 carbonated soft drink in the country behind Coca-Cola, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

For 2009, Pepsi-Cola held only a slight lead over Diet Coke when each brand had a little less than 10 percent market share among carbonated soft drinks, the newspaper reported. That year, Coke won the title with 17 percent market share, according to the WSJ, which cited Beverage Digest.

Some can argue the switch in positions is related to advertising. After a nine-year break, Coca-Cola advertised its flagship Coke brand during the past five Super Bowls. In addition, it also advertised Diet Coke during the past five Academy Awards, the news outlet reported.

On the other side of the coin, PepsiCo didn’t advertise its flagship cola during the Super Bowl or in other television spots in 2010. Instead, it launched the Refresh Project, an online charitable-giving program, according to WSJ.

But PepsiCo continues to suit up for battle in the cola wars with the decision to make Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback permanent. According to Calorielab.com, the company made the announcement on the Pepsi Throwback Facebook page.