In No Man's land -"Coke Vs Pepsi"

The consumer preferences have changed and so consumers are shifting to more healthier options like water and sports drinks.The same was experienced by the two beverage giants Coke and Pepsi in the U.S.As the consumers became more calorie conscious Coca-Cola tried adding Diet Coke with Splenda,Coke Zero and C2 to its portfolio of drinks.This was in response to the launch of Pepsi One,Diet Pepsi and Pepsi EDGE by Pepsi.
The challenges to the launch of these versions were the cannibalization of the existing products and on the other hand the consumers lacked the knowledge to differentiate Normal drink and the Diet Versions.Pepsi One thought was launched for the age group 20-30yrs who don't like the taste f normal cola but the advertising featuring Cuba Gooding failed to communicate the real message and hence the product was a failure.Then came the launch of Coke zero and Diet Coke with Splenda.The company dint projected the calorie aspect of the Coke Zero initially but the confusion between the consumers made it launch a new campaign stating "Real Coca-Cola taste,Zero Calories,no compromise."Both of the companies also took initiative to launch the mid-calories drinks but the consumers were indifferent to the same.Thus products like Pepsi EDGE were faced out.
The consumer knowledge that the marketer failed to know as the consumer wanted taste and calories of a a Cola or there is not much middle ground.