Brand Wars: Anthropic vs OpenAI, Coke vs Pepsi + Disney Goes All-In on Parks
Sonia sits down with Jiya Jaisingh (fractional marketer and communicator with 10+ years in health and social impact) to break down Anthropic's $7M Super Bowl ad announcing they won't run ads, Pepsi's Coca-Cola bear stunt, Disney's CEO transition betting on parks over content, and why wellness brands are crashing the junk food holiday.
The big thesis: brand wars are back, and they're funnier than ever. Anthropic spent millions to dunk on OpenAI's ad strategy with satirical "what we won't do" spots. Pepsi dragged Coke's polar bear (and AI Christmas ad) through the mud with craft storytelling and a Coldplay cheating meme. Disney chose a parks CEO over a content executive, signaling experiences are the new moat. And Kellogg's spending Super Bowl money on Raisin Bran fiber jokes proves GLP-1s are reshaping food marketing.
We're talking about:
Anthropic's "Claude Cerebral" Super Bowl ads: $7-8M spend to announce they're NOT doing ads (with a caveat), satirical AI prompts serving cringey sponsors (height-boosting insoles, cougar dating apps), and Dr. Dre's "The Difference" as the ultimate OpenAI diss track
Why Anthropic's positioning themselves as the ethical AI: Mac vs. PC energy, "we're not like OpenAI" messaging, luxury creative audience targeting, and the transparency play ("if we change our mind, we'll tell you")
Pepsi's Coke polar bear heist: No AI (direct shot at Coke's AI Christmas disaster), Coldplay cheating meme integration, therapist couch reveal, craft storytelling over AI slop, and reviving the Pepsi Challenge
Brand wars as positioning strategy: Anthropic vs. OpenAI, Pepsi vs. Coke, crowded markets forcing brands to stake territory by calling out what they won't do
Wellness invades Super Bowl: Kellogg's Raisin Bran (first Super Bowl ad in 15 years), William Shatner poop jokes, GLP-1s reshaping food trends, fiber searches up 70%, and gut health as the new protein
Why Raisin Bran is risky: Celebrity ads = brand recall vs. product recall, proof vs. promise (Shatner's health as evidence fiber works), and competing with protein cereal startups
Disney's CEO pick signals experience-first future: Josh Damaro (parks CEO) over Dana Walden (content president), Disney Experiences worth $205B vs. content's $47B, Bluey Disneyland announcement, and AI as "always second to human creativity"
Disney's luxury pivot: Pricing families out vs. widening access, competing with ski trips and Europe vacations, perpetual engagement loops (Moana movie → doll → park → hotel → Moana 2), and Netflix can't build theme parks in decades
Stripe Press's "Maintenance of Everything" rollout: Patches, rags, Kintsugi-inspired book design, influencer gifting, and craft as marketing moat
Sydney Sweeney's Siren rebrand disaster: Sweetgreen logo vibes, "is it Siren or Third?" confusion, bra fit criticism, detached "no apology" messaging, and men vs. women reading the launch completely differently
Granola's rebrand miss: Vomit green, Dreamcast swirl logo, "we spent hours on this" admission backfiring, and rebranding too early when traction is just building
Plus: Why Monster's Inc marketing theory (laughter beats screams) is dominating Super Bowl 2025, Budweiser's nostalgia play, and how Ro's Serena Williams ad fits the GLP-1 wellness trend
guest: Jiya Jaisingh – Fractional marketer and communicator with 10+ years in health and social impact (LinkedIn: Jiya Jaisingh, website: jiyajaisingh.com)
marketing takeaways:
Use competitor missteps as positioning opportunities (Anthropic leveraging OpenAI's ads, Pepsi dunking on Coke's AI)
Staking what you won't do is a position in crowded markets (Anthropic's "no ads" stance attracts luxury creative users)
Transparency buys goodwill for future pivots (Anthropic's "we'll tell you if we change" caveat)
Humor beats rage bait—Monster's Inc theory wins (Anthropic, Pepsi, Raisin Bran all going comedic)
Craft storytelling cuts through AI slop (Pepsi's real polar bear vs. Coke's AI disaster)
Disrupt category expectations (wellness brands crashing junk food's biggest event)
Proof beats promise in health marketing (Shatner's vitality vs "fiber will help you")
Experiences are undervalued brand moats (Disney betting $205B parks business over $47B content)
Perpetual engagement loops = no off-ramps (Disney's Moana universe across movies, parks, merch, hotels)
Know your ICP before launching (Sydney Sweeney's Siren confused men and women, no clear target)
Don't rebrand when you're just gaining traction (Granola's vomit green misstep)
Cultural trends reshape categories fast (GLP-1s forcing food brands to pivot to wellness)
