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Cola wars: PepsiCo ends 30-year partnership with WPP, as Coca-Cola signs up the agency
Mumbai: The biggest rivalry in advertising history is in full view once again as the two beverage giants PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company engage in an indirect battle over their common global partner. PepsiCo India has brought its over three decades of association with WPP to a grinding halt after the latter inked a comprehensive deal with Coca-Cola. The beverage major is set to call India’s leading agencies for media and creative pitches. And the reason behind it is anybody’s guess.
“PepsiCo India follows a re-pitching cycle every few years for agencies and partners working on our brand mandates. This year Wunderman Thompson and Mindshare will not be participating in the process,” stated a PepsiCo India Spokesperson to IndianTelevision, while adding, “We value our partnership and thank them for what we have achieved together over the years.”
WPP Group-owned Mindshare and Wunderman Thompson were the company’s media and creative agency on record, respectively.
Last year in November, Coca-Cola named WPP as its global marketing network partner. As a part of this alliance, WPP will play a major role in Coca-Cola, executing a new marketing model that is built to drive long-term growth for the entire company’s portfolio of brands across more than 200 countries and territories.
The news of this association evidently has not gone down well with Pepsico, as WPP was handling the latter’s business in markets like India. India is among the few countries where WPP Group agencies represent PepsiCo. Rumours have been strife since then that PepsiCo might change its agency soon as no brand wants to work with agencies with contending brands.
As the two largest soft-drink brands, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have long been arc rivals. Pepsico and Coca-Cola are two major advertisers in the country and the beverage makers have jostled for consumer attention with pointed ads featuring major Bollywood stars as brand ambassadors over the last decade.
According to reports, PepsiCo has been devoting between $2.3 and $ three billion to advertising and promotion of its products annually. Over the last six years, Coca-Cola has spent an average of $ four billion a year on advertising worldwide.
MAM
Deepanshu Manchanda named IIMSAM Goodwill Ambassador
Zappfresh founder to advocate for Zero Hunger and nutrition goals.
MUMBAI: Deepanshu Manchanda just got a United Nations side quest because when you’re already fighting hunger from farm to fork, the next level is global goodwill. Deepanshu Manchanda, founder and managing director of DSM Fresh Foods Ltd. (Zappfresh), has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by the Intergovernmental Institution for the Use of Micro-Algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition (IIMSAM), an observer to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The honorary, non-remunerative role recognises his work in building inclusive, transparent food systems, strengthening smallholder farmer livelihoods especially women producers and advancing nutrition and food security.
Since founding Zappfresh in 2015, Manchanda has focused on traceability, farmer inclusion and public health. A notable collaboration with Shared Wealth Ventures LLC (a Heifer Project International subsidiary) established a backyard poultry sourcing model across Odisha, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, linking women-led households directly to organised markets while promoting biosecurity and premium procurement practices.
As Goodwill Ambassador, he will support initiatives aligned with:
- SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) – advocating sustainable nutrition solutions
- SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) – raising awareness of malnutrition interventions
- SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) – fostering collaboration across institutions and communities
Manchanda said, “I’m honoured by IIMSAM’s recognition. It reflects the journey we began at Zappfresh to build transparent food systems that support smallholder farmers and improve nutrition outcomes. I’m eager to support collaborative progress toward Zero Hunger, better nutrition, and strong partnerships on a global scale.”
In a world where hunger and opportunity often sit at the same table, Manchanda isn’t just serving fresh food, he’s serving fresh hope, one traceable chicken and empowered farmer at a time.
