It won't just be a football battle brewing at next weekend's Super Bowl.
A new cola war is at hand, but this time it's not just about Coca-Cola (KO 0.68%) and PepsiCo (PEP 1.65%). SodaStream (SODA) will join the fray as the third budding pop star to pay up for a Super Bowl commercial.
It won't be cheap.
CBS (PARA 1.48%) reportedly sold out of its ad slots two weeks ago, with advertisers paying $3.7 million to $3.8 million for each 30-second spot.
We've known that SodaStream was going to advertise in the big game since early December. We also know that it will be a slightly tweaked version of its controversial ad dissing the consumption of bottled and canned soda that was banned in the United Kingdom.
However, we also now know what SodaStream will be up against a week from Sunday. Coca-Cola will have a Coke commercial, and PepsiCo will be promoting both Pepsi and Pepsi Next.
It will be interesting to see if Coca-Cola or Pepsi object to the way regulators did in supporting Big Soda across the pond in November. It will also be interesting to see where the ad is placed. CBS wouldn't dare place an ad with exploding soft-drink bottles -- arguing that a single SodaStream system can spare the world 2,000 bottles of garbage a year -- after a Coke or Pepsi slot.
SodaStream wouldn't mind, of course. It was able to milk the controversy behind November's ban to send views of its commercial on YouTube past 2.5 million in just two months. The notoriety helped amplify its message. Imagine what a little attention will do as we approach the country's most watched televised event of the year.
Cola wars are back, only this time the battle is being waged on three different fronts.
