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A case study of Coca Cola and Pepsi has been undertaken in order to comprehend whether or not branding affects consumer purchase decesion. Previous research ´ The Pepsi Challenge´ has been emulated and discussed in order to come to a conclusion.The research methodology consisted of a binomial experiment, conducted on participants and dealt with participant´s ability to distinguish Coca- Cola from Pepsi. Quantitative analysis of questionnaires, given to participants, was utilised to create an analysis of graphs. A semiotic analysis of a Coca-Cola can as well as Pepsi can was conducted in order to comprehend the brand image of these respective brands. The Porter s Five Forces Framework was recreated for the soft-drink industry in order to gain a grasp of how the firms are likely to gain competitive advantages over other rival firms. The results obtained suggest that branding is a key variable affecting consumer purchase decision

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Tania Shaikh graduated as Class Valedictorian from Middlesex University with a firstclass honours degree in media and communications. Her strong passion for writing started at an early age and has blossomed since. She has had various lifestyle journalistic pieces published and was nominated for the Young Journalism Award 2009.

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