If you watched the 2026 Super Bowl, you might have noticed something unexpected: Pepsi using an AI polar bear in its ad. If you did a double check, well, you were not alone. Because when you see a polar bear in ads, you think of Coca-Cola.

And that’s the power of branding.

Coca-Cola’s Polar Bear History

Coca-Cola’s polar bear first showed up in a print ad in France back in 1922. 70 years later, the polar bear became a part of its brand identity in 1993. It’s already not just a mascot but a symbol tied to warmth, family, fun, and connection. The ads ran around the world and added a variety of innovative techniques, such as computer animation (Learn more about Coca-Cola’s Polar Bear here.) 

Coca-Cola always leads the industry.

Pepsi’s mascot?

When a company like Pepsi uses a similar symbol, it makes you feel something was borrowed instead of innovating. When something is real, it genuinely means something to you and you want to trust the original. So, what happens if brands run out of their own stories to tell?

Remember Pepsiman? You might be scratching your head. From 1996 to 2003, Pepsi used the human-like character with a metallic-looking outfit in Japan. The faceless superhero-style mascot, who always stumbled through commercials and ended up hurt, has never expanded beyond Japan. He quietly disappeared, and today you won’t even find him on Pepsi’s main website. He didn’t become a global icon like Coca-Cola’s polar bears. This, in a way, represents the difference between short-term moments and long-lasting brand stories.