Unbearable Betrayal? Pepsi Hijacks Coke’s Polar Bear for 2026 Super Bowl Commercial
Pepsi officially reignited one of the longest-running rivalries in the beverage industry, and is using the 2026 Super Bowl and Coca-Cola's iconic polar bear to do so. With Super Bowl 60 between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks just around the corner, kicking off on February 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET, the week or so before means two things. Plenty of comical videos from media week involving players, and, of course, the always-popular Super Bowl commercials will now begin to surface. Pepsi decided to hit the ground running by unveiling a haymaker of a Super Bowl commercial targeting Coke and bringing the rival's popular mascot into the mix.
How Pepsi's Super Bowl Commercial Uses Coke's Most Iconic Symbol Against Them
Pepsi not only used the Coca-Cola polar bear as a focal point of its 2026 Super Bowl ad, but the company also added a few twists along the way. However, the commercial begins with the bear taking a blindfolded taste test between Coke and Pepsi, ultimately choosing Pepsi, leading to a brutal identity crisis.
Following a scene with the Coca-Cola bear lying on a therapist's couch, it's seen sadly looking through a restaurant window at a group of people drinking Pepsi. Shortly after, another polar bear walks up and hands a Pepsi to Coke's mascot.
To put the icing on the cake, the two polar bears are then seen on the big screen at an event/concert (filled with Pepsi logos and blue lights, of course), in a moment that appears to recreate Coldplay's drama-filled concert moment from 2025.
Challenge over, winner decided: The choice is PEPSI pic.twitter.com/RrcOKUTjoc
— Pepsi (@pepsi) January 29, 2026
It's quite a way to kick off what's bound to be a Super Bowl filled with can't-miss commercials, and it's fair to say that Pepsi didn't miss with its attempt to take aim squarely at its soda rival.
Taika Waititi Directs Polar Bear's 'Identity Crisis' Set to Queen's Anthem
The commercial, called "The Choice," also features Queen's iconic hit "I Want to Break Free" playing throughout. While Pepsi's inclusion of Coke's mascot is bold, the song choice deserves a tip of the cap. To top it off, Pepsi brought in Academy Award-winning director Taika Waititi to direct the 2026 Super Bowl ad.
Waititi won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his 2019 satirical film Jojo Rabbit. His bold style of directing has also extended to the superhero landscape, as Waititi directed Marvel'sThor: Ragnarok (2017) and the 2022 movie Thor: Love and Thunder.
His latest viral work drew widespread responses on social media, as even the official Mountain Dew X account chimed in, stating, "let's be real it's always been Pepsi." This prompted Pepsi's official X account, which now features the Coca-Cola polar bear as its main photo, to reply with, "The bear is finally catching up."
the bear is finally catching up
— Pepsi (@pepsi) January 29, 2026
The director of Pepsi's commercial, bound to reignite its rivalry with Coke, has also earned several other award nominations, along with a Grammy win for the Jojo Rabbit soundtrack. Waititi's 2004 short film, Two Cars, One Night, earned an Oscar nomination as well.
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