In the late years of the 19th century, a new industry was getting born. An industry that was to become established as a major player in the market later in the next century - the Soft Drink industry. Today it is dominated by two main competitors – Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo, Inc., and a number of small soft drink producers.
             The Coca-Cola company rapidly evolved to a giant soft drink producer in the beginning and mid-20th century using a successful marketing strategy. Being the first to introduce and popularize the Coca-Cola drink among the US population, the company succeeded to establish its product as part of the American life style. The management of the company strategically used the ongoing political and social events of the time to further spread the popularity of its drink. A major role in this campaign played the company's involvement in making the Coca-Cola drink available at a fixed cost to every American soldier during World War II, thus incorporating its product as part of the American culture. The soft drink industry had three branches: concentrate producers, bottlers, and retailers. The Coca-Cola company specialized in producing the coca-cola concentrate, which was sold to bottlers and later distributed to retailers. The relatively lower cost of production needed to obtain the concentrate allowed the company to spend a large amount of its capital in advertising and promotion of its product. It worked closely with bottlers and retailers to ensure the successful completion of its marketing efforts.
             The Pepsi company went into business not long after the introduction of the coca-cola drink. It used a similar tasting soft drink., and like the Coca-Cola company followed the same production-distribution chain. Being the second entrant in the market, it was falling behind Coca-Cola in popularity of its drink, but it benefited from the general acceptance by the public of the coca-cola drink. It also engaged heav...