When a Coke mascot chooses Pepsi, it’s almost un-bearable.
Today, Pepsi Zero Sugar unveiled its Super Bowl 60 commercial, “The Choice,” a 30-second ad airing in the second quarter in which a certain cola-loving bear takes the Pepsi Challenge and ultimately chooses a Pepsi product over Coke Zero Sugar.
The revelation triggers an existential crisis for the polar bear and sends it on a journey of self-discovery, ultimately ending in a callback to a meme-able kiss cam moment during a Coldplay concert last year.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi directs the ad—which is set to Queen’s “I Want to Break Free”—and also makes a cameo as the polar bear’s therapist. PepsiCo previously worked with the director on its Lay’s Super Bowl 59 campaign.
PepsiCo Content Studio and BBDO led the creative.
Pepsi marketing vp Gustavo Reyna noted that the ad showcases Pepsi’s “challenger DNA” as the company takes on Coca-Cola, which leads in market share. However, the marketer also pointed out that the creative was data-driven.
According to Pepsi, the idea for the bear’s taste test came from real data from its 2025 Pepsi Challenge. Last year, the company conducted Pepsi Challenges across 34 markets, with 66% of participants preferring Pepsi Zero Sugar to Coke Zero Sugar in taste tests. Showcasing the brand’s success, Reyna noted that Pepsi Zero Sugar had 30.8% growth in the Zero Sugar Cola category in 2025.
The marketing exec explained that the polar bear in the ad is “just another cola lover that represents the vast majority of Americans.”
And in the face of Coca-Cola turning to AI for its ads, Reyna noted that, though there is a CGI bear, it was important to have a human touch in the ad, led by Waititi’s direction.
“If there’s something we care about and we believe in, it’s in the craft and the creativity of our people, our talent, and our partners,” Reyna said. “This time around, we’re honing in on those talents and on the craft, and we’re bringing the bear to life.”
Beyond the ad, Pepsi’s bear will have a presence on the ground in San Francisco, and the company will conduct more Pepsi Challenges for fans to participate in. Meanwhile, the company plans a podcast blitz following the game as part of a campaign focused on “edu-tainment,” i.e., entertaining while getting its message across.
