There’s a New No. 2 Soda in America and It’s Not Pepsi

For decades, the Coke versus Pepsi rivalry was unparalleled. The soda brands competed for the top spot, with Coca-Cola dominating and Pepsi close behind. However, Pepsi has slipped in the rankings over the past few years. A few years ago, Dr. Pepper pushed it out of the second spot and into third. However, according to Beverage Digest, Pepsi is no longer a top-three soda: Sprite has pushed Pepsi to number four.

Coke Is the Most Popular Brand, Followed by Dr. Pepper, Sprite, and Pepsi

The most recent statistics, covering the period through the end of 2024, show that Coke maintains 19.1 percent of the market. Dr. Pepper is the second most dominant soda with 8.3 percent, followed by Sprite, 8.03 percent, and Pepsi coming in fourth with 7.97 percent.

Sprite's "Obey Your Thirst" Campaign Has Worked

Coca-Cola

Marketing Dive points to Sprite's most recent "Obey Your Thirst" ad campaign and celebrity endorsements, including NBA player Anthony Edwards and Olympic sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson, as one of the driving forces of its success.

It Brought in a New "Generation of Consumers"

Sprite

"'Obey Your Thirst' wasn't just a relaunch of a platform, but really refreshing it for a new generation of consumers. Transparently, most of Gen Z wasn't familiar with 'Obey Your Thirst,' so it was very much like launching a new campaign," AP Chaney, senior creative director of sparkling flavors at Coca-Cola, told Marketing Dive. "The resonance has been great in terms of how it showed up and how we're infiltrating culture."

Its Authenticity Is Part of Their Strategy

"What our audience wants to feel is that it's okay to to be yourself," added Josh Kroo, vice president of sparkling flavors in Coca-Cola's North American operating unit. "That authenticity is at the core of what we are showing with the partnerships that we have and with the way that we communicate."

Pepsi Is Working Hard to Get Back on Top

Pepsi maintains that the latest figures are only through 2024 and are hopeful about the future. "We're focused on building the Pepsi brand, which includes options like Zero Sugar and flavor innovations like Wild Cherry, a Pepsi spokeman said.

People Are Drinking Less Soda in General

sporty woman drinking too much water — Shutterstock

Overall, people are drinking less soda. The number of internet users who said they'd had a regular cola in the past three months dropped from 47% to 43%, between 2022 and 2023.