Pepsi Trolls Coke with Logo Redesign Parody

Pepsi has responded to Coca-Cola's recent logo redesign by poking fun at its rival's efforts. In a social video, Pepsi staged a fictional logo redesign meeting where its familiar identity was dismissed as 'old.' Employees then presented the exact same logo as the new version to roaring applause.

The joke takes aim at Coca-Cola's July identity overhaul, designed to make its signature assets consistent across more than 200 markets. JKR, the agency behind the refresh, called it a love letter to Coca-Cola's oldest assets.

Pepsi's response rests on the brand knowledge that both companies share. The brand knows the redesign process firsthand, which sharpens the joke. Its 2023 brand refresh was the first update to the Pepsi globe in 14 years and added electric blue, black, a custom typeface, and a signature pulse to the design system.

Brand recognition comes from exposure over time, which is why established brands spend heavily to modify visual identities while still preserving familiar cues. Three value lessons that brands can take away from Pepsi's parody of Coca-Cola are: protect the assets consumers already recognize, give redesigns a clear job to do, and test familiarity before changing core assets.