Recently, netizens in China discovered that in Hubei province, Central China, you can get 100ml more per bottle of both Coca-Cola and Pepsi colas for the same price. The heated discussion quickly created several hot hashtags.
The reason is, of course, competition. Back in the late 20th century, Coca-Cola and Pepsi were fiercely competing against each other, province by province. Hubei was especially sticky for both beverage brands, and Pepsi’s first thought was to add an extra 100ml to its bottles without raising the price. Coca-Cola had to follow to avoid being left behind. Now decades later, neither can drop the extra 100ml.
- #湖北的可乐多100ml, colas in Hubei has an extra 100ml: 1.13 million views on Weibo, ranking number 1 on the Lifestyle list
- #湖北的可乐, colas in Hubei: 937,000 views on Weibo, ranking number 29 on the Hot Search list
There are also other factors, such as Coca-Cola having two factories in the province, which lowers the cost. Another reason is that hot ginger cola has already become a regional delicacy in colder weather, so demand remains high even during winter. Giving customers more for the same price is what many netizens call “healthy” competition, because in the end, it’s the consumers who win.