For decades, the cola wars played out in Super Bowl commercials and fast food soda fountains, in taste tests and vending machine allegiances. Coke was classic, Pepsi was cool — and both were unapologetically, thrillingly bad for you. But in 2025, the battle lines have shifted. The two soda giants aren’t fighting over who makes the better sugar bomb. They’re squaring off over a new frontier: prebiotic soda, the fizzy, gut-friendly darlings of the wellness-industrial complex.
Coke’s entry into the prebiotic soda wars, which was announced in February, comes with a familiar face: Simply, the juice brand that has occupied grocery store shelves and breakfast tables for decades. Simply Pop leans hard on that trust factor, positioning itself as the safe, everyday choice for the health-conscious consumer who still wants a little indulgence. The branding is bright and approachable, its fruit-forward flavors — Strawberry, Pineapple-Mango, Lime and Citrus Punch — designed to feel more like an extension of the juice aisle than a foray into gut health.
The message is clear: You already know us. You already love us. Why not let us fix your microbiome?
Gut-friendly fizz: How Coke and Pepsi are reinventing the soda wars
