Battle of the soft drinks
It's the battle of the soft drinks, and Diet Coke just edged ahead of Pepsi in 2010, based on sales of the two brands in the United States.
Diet Coke's sales victory over Pepsi-Cola puts it at number two, behind Coca-Cola.
The two companies have fought over the past decade to win market share from one another as cola sales overall have dropped, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Diet Coke has been edging closer for some years, with Pepsi enjoying only a narrow lead in 2009, the WSJ reported.
That year, regular Coke won the cola wars with a 17 per cent market share, according to Beverage Digest, a trade publication.
But market-share data to be released Thursday by Beverage Digest is expected to confirm Diet Coke pulled ahead in 2010.
In 2010 PepsiCo didn't advertise during the Super Bowl or in other TV spots, preferring to launch an online charitable-giving program that it says will drive revenue in the long term.
Coca-Cola increased its traditional TV marketing and returned to Super Bowl advertising.
