In Big Game Taste Test, a Polar Bear Picks Pepsi Over Coke

The confused beast struggles pretty hard to make sense of such brand-boosting irony

A Coke-style CG polar bear chooses Pepsi Zero Sugar over Coca-Cola’s comparable soda in the SB60 taste-test commercial below. Naturally, the creature seeks psychiatric help as it struggles with an ensuing existential crisis.

So, Coke takes a (good-natured?) mauling, with the spot from BBDO, PepsiCo Content Studio and director Taika Waititi sending up its famous mascot and slick, tech-driven animation vibe.

We’ll subtract points for the inclusion of Queen’s ludicrously overplayed “I Want to Break Free.” Could they find no other track?!

Overall though, it’s a splashy entry in the unending cola wars sure to garner its share of mass appeal. Given the gravitas of the brands and the cheeky one-upmanship, this qualifies as the most Super Bowl ad of the Super Bowl so far.

“I love a good challenge. So I jumped at the chance to take part in what many consider the biggest pop culture competition outside of streaming vs. theatrical,” Waititi says in press materials.

The :45 above began streaming today on Pepsi’s YouTube channel. A 30-second edit will air during NBC’s Big Game telecast on Feb. 8.