Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Pepsi’s Super Bowl Ad Recasts Coke’s Polar Bear in a Pepsi Zero Sugar Taste Test

Pepsi bets on Pepsi Zero Sugar growth with a Taika Waititi spot riffing on Coke’s polar-bear image.

Overview

  • The 2026 spot, titled “The Choice,” shows a polar bear in a blind Pepsi Challenge choosing Pepsi Zero Sugar over Coke Zero Sugar.
  • Taika Waititi directed the commercial and appears as the bear’s therapist, with Queen’s “I Want to Break Free” as the soundtrack.
  • Pepsi posted the full 45-second version online on Jan. 29, and a 30-second cut is slated to air during Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8.
  • The ad borrows from Coca‑Cola’s polar-bear iconography and closes with a comedic re-creation of the viral Coldplay kiss-cam moment.
  • Pepsi positions the campaign as a taste-first challenger play tied to Zero Sugar gains, citing Circana data on category growth and a 30.8% 2025 increase for Pepsi Zero Sugar, as observers note unresolved trademark questions for Coke’s bear.