Alex Carson
#1 Coke vs Pepsi
This is the most well-known expamples of the 10 biggest business rivalries of all time. The Coke vs Pepsi was has been going on for decades. It has also been going on for a long time. At one point, Coke was so worried about the competition that they make a pretty big mistake. During what was called the Cola Wars in the 1980’s, Pepsi was doing television advertisements where they did taste test experiments. They gave their subjects two unmarked sodas and had the subject choose the one they liked best. On the commercials, the subjects chose Pepsi. Coke worried so much about this that they came out with a product called, New Coke. Unfortunately, New Coke failed miserably. To make up for the mistake, Coke sent out 400,000 apology letters to customers who complained about the taste of the soda. They went back to their old recipe and called it, Coca-Cola Classic. Coke got their customers back, however, the two companies are and always will be competing.
#2 McDonald’s vs Burger King
The rivalry between McDonald’s and Burger King has gone back to the 1950’s and the 1960’s. Both franchises were trying to make the cheapest burgers that tasted the best. It all started with McDonald’s 15 cent hamburger. When Burger King saw this, they decided to come out with a more expensive hamburger that tasted better, and the 37 cent Burger King Whopper was born. When McDonald’s saw this, they realized that they too needed a huge burger to impress the public. This is how the Big Mac was born. Over the years, the public has each chosen their favorite. Recently, the companies have been arguing over whose chicken nuggets contain the highest quality chicken.
#3 Ford vs GM
In 1912, General Motors opened its doors. The location that they chose was just a few miles from Henry Ford’s Ford dealership. By 1927, Ford was the top dog after selling 15 million Model T’s. GM took notice and they decided to work harder to dethrone Ford as the number one company. In 1931, they did just that. The remained the world’s leading car manufacturer for over 80 years. In 2008, the company’s sales dropped and GM was forced to file for bankruptcy. After getting rid of their Pontiac, Saturn, and Hummer brands, along with the $12 billion they got from taxpayers, they came back. Chances are, Ford wasn’t as happy about this as GM was.
#4 Dunkin Donuts vs Starbucks
Many people cannot start their day without that first cup of coffee. When Dunkin Donuts opened its first location in California, people camped out over the weekend to be the first ones in the chain’s new location. Today, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks hold 60 percent of the coffee market. According to a Harvard report, Starbucks is currently beating Dunkin by 12 percent. For a while, the two companies were able to coexist happily. Dunkin focused on their baked goods while Starbucks focused more on their coffee. In 2003, Dunlin decided to put more attention towards the coffee, and the real war began.
#5 UPS vs Fed Ex
Fed Ex and UPS both do the same thing. They deliver packages to their customers. Each company uses their own method to try to stay on top. Fed Ex has the largest fleet of all-cargo airplanes out of all of the delivery companies. They currently have over 700 and that should continue to rise. UPS is the opposite. They have the most ground vehicles. The company has over 100,000 delivery trucks and that number is expected to rise as well. Currently, UPS is winning the war. They are worth $94 billion and Fed Ex is worth $51 billion
#6 Nike vs Reebok
When Nike was first introduced, the company grew very quickly. Unfortunately, in 1984, the company hit a speed bump. They reported a loss for their first quarter. That summer, during the Summer Olympic games in Los Angeles, Carl Lewis won four gold medals wearing a pair of Nike shoes. With Reebok’s huge selection of women’s jogging shoes, they became the number one brand. When Michael Jordan started playing for the Chicago Bulls, he signed a shoe contract. When the sneakers became popular, Nike was finally the top dog again. Reebok’s sales went way down, and in 2005, Adidas bought Reebok for $3.8 billion.
#7 Boeing vs Airbus
Over 100 years ago, the first commercial flight took one passenger up into the sky. The passenger paid what would equal $10,000 today. After that, more planes were built and the two manufacturers Airbus and Boeing went head to head. Over the years, they have been fighting for the number one position.
#8 Hasbro vs Mattel
Hasbro and Mattel are the two leading toy manufacturers in the world and they are always competing for the top spot. In the 1960’s, when Mattel came out with Barbie, they dominated the toy industry. Later, they lost the number one spot to Mattel thanks to the Transformer action figures. In 1996, Mattel offered to buy Hasbro for $5.2 million, however, Hasbro declined the offer. Over the years, the two have been competing for the best toys and the top spot.
#9 AT&T vs MCI
In 1974, MCI sued AT&T and they won $1.8 billion. This caused AT&T to fall apart. Soon, long distance companies were competing for the top spot in long distance calling. This resulted in long distance calls becoming more affordable. In the 1990’s, MCI merged with WorldCom. Sadly, they were forced to file for bankruptcy in 2002 and they were bought out by Verizon for $7.6 billion in 2005. MCI tried to be creative and started 1-800-COLLECT as well as a phone-based music store. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough and AT&T won the war.
#10 Atari vs Sega and Then Nintendo Came Along
Before there was the Playstation, Xbox, and even Nintendo, Atari and Sega were competing for the title of the top video game system. In the beginning, Atari was the true pioneer. When Nintendo released their gaming system and they became popular, Sega took the place of Atari. The started a whole new video game war between Sega and Nintendo. It didn’t take long for Nintendo to take the number one spot.
