Read on Twitter
A thread of 10 of the most epic business feuds ever
Competition and business go hand in hand. But sometimes two companies become embroiled in business feuds that divide customers as much as brands themselves.
So enjoy the thread and share your opinion about it
Like and Retweet
Competition and business go hand in hand. But sometimes two companies become embroiled in business feuds that divide customers as much as brands themselves.
So enjoy the thread and share your opinion about it
Like and Retweet
PEPSI VS COCACOLA
The most infamous era of rivalry came in the 1970s and 1980s, when Pepsi rapidly gained ground through its successful Pepsi Challenge ad campaign, featuring blind taste tests. The Pepsi Challenge also pushed Coca-Cola into what looked like a PR horror show the
The most infamous era of rivalry came in the 1970s and 1980s, when Pepsi rapidly gained ground through its successful Pepsi Challenge ad campaign, featuring blind taste tests. The Pepsi Challenge also pushed Coca-Cola into what looked like a PR horror show the
launch of its hugely controversial New Coke in 1985. But the backlash that followed, and swift re-launch of Coca-Cola Classic, attracted huge publicity and ended up cementing Cokeâs number one spot in the cola market, where it remains today.
Ferrari vs Lamborghini
In 1950s Italy, Enzo Ferrari was in charge of his famous sports car company while Ferruccio Lamborghini was running a tractor business. Things may have stayed that way if Lamborghini, originally from a family of grape farmers but a keen mechanic, had not
In 1950s Italy, Enzo Ferrari was in charge of his famous sports car company while Ferruccio Lamborghini was running a tractor business. Things may have stayed that way if Lamborghini, originally from a family of grape farmers but a keen mechanic, had not
been unhappy with his new Ferrariâs engine and clutch. Lamborghini thought he knew how the sports car could be improved, and took his concerns to Enzo Ferrari himself. But Ferrari replied so the story goes that there was nothing wrong with the car, and told him to stick to
tractors. The outraged Lamborghini decided to get his own back, building his own car factory and unveiling the first Lamborghini sports car, the 350 GTV, in the early 1960s. The rest is history
McDonald's vs Burger King
There is no love lost between these two fast food giants, which have spent vast sums trying to outdo each other in their advertising for decades. Burger King caught the publicâs imagination with its "Silly Whopper. Thatâs a Big Mac Box" billboards in
There is no love lost between these two fast food giants, which have spent vast sums trying to outdo each other in their advertising for decades. Burger King caught the publicâs imagination with its "Silly Whopper. Thatâs a Big Mac Box" billboards in
the 2000s, showing its larger burger struggling to fit in its rivalâs box. Burger King has even used Ronald McDonald in some TV adverts, featuring him sneaking into one of its branches. But McDonaldâs has not been scared to hit back, featuring a road sign with an impossibly
long list of directions to the nearest Burger King in a 2016 advert. The message? "McDonaldâs is closer to you."
Adidas vs Puma
Two brothers were at the centre of one of the most famous rivalries in sport â between shoemakers Adidas and Puma. It all started peacefully as the young Adi Dassler and his older brother Rudolf launched a footwear business together in Germany in the 1920s, working
Two brothers were at the centre of one of the most famous rivalries in sport â between shoemakers Adidas and Puma. It all started peacefully as the young Adi Dassler and his older brother Rudolf launched a footwear business together in Germany in the 1920s, working
out of their mother's laundry room. But the pair fell out as the business boomed and pressures grew during the Second World War. They split in two, with Adi launching Adidas and Rudolf launching Puma on different sides of the river in their hometown Herzogenaurach. A charity
football match between their employees in 2009 was their first joint activity since the 1940s.
Microsoft vs Apple
The battle between these tech titans has been raging for decades. Steve Jobs took regular aim at Microsoft in his time at the helm of Apple, accusing them of having no taste in the 1990s and putting the boot in with his companyâs famous "Get a Mac"
The battle between these tech titans has been raging for decades. Steve Jobs took regular aim at Microsoft in his time at the helm of Apple, accusing them of having no taste in the 1990s and putting the boot in with his companyâs famous "Get a Mac"
campaign in the 2000s. Bill Gates and Microsoft sometimes hit back, with the founder calling Jobs "fundamentally odd" and claiming his rival knew little about technology. But the two occasionally managed to get along just fine, with the Microsoft founder even appearing in
Mac adverts in the 1980s. More recently he revealed he had spent time with Steve Jobs at home before the Apple entrepreneurâs death in 2011.
Samsung vs Apple
Apple and Samsung have only been fighting it out for less than a decade. But that hasn't stopped it becoming "one of the bloodiest corporate wars in history", as Vanity Fair put it. Things blew up when Samsung launched one of its first Galaxy models in 2010.
Apple and Samsung have only been fighting it out for less than a decade. But that hasn't stopped it becoming "one of the bloodiest corporate wars in history", as Vanity Fair put it. Things blew up when Samsung launched one of its first Galaxy models in 2010.
It sparked fury at Apple, with the company accusing its South Korean rival of copying the iPhone. The two firms battled it out in the courts and in ad campaigns, and the two phones are still going head to head almost a decade later as they compete for global dominance.
PlayStation vs Xbox
Feuds between the makers of games consoles have rumbled on for as long as there have been consoles. Anyone with a long memory may remember the rivalry between Coleco, Mattel and Atari in the 1970s, which saw one firm disparage another in adverts similar to
Feuds between the makers of games consoles have rumbled on for as long as there have been consoles. Anyone with a long memory may remember the rivalry between Coleco, Mattel and Atari in the 1970s, which saw one firm disparage another in adverts similar to
Appleâs "Get A Mac" campaign years later. One of the biggest feuds in more recent times has been between Microsoft and Sony in the contest between the Xbox and the PlayStation. Fans are often fiercely loyal to one or the other, but Sony looks like it is winning the war as the
PlayStation 4 Pro is the most popular console in the world at the end of 2019 and already the second best-selling console of all time. That has not stopped the odd love-in between its leaders, like when they wished each other luck with their launches in 2013.
Facebook vs Snapchat
Mark Zuckerberg says more than two billion people use Facebook every month, making it one of the worldâs most successful companies. But it has many other social media sites hot on its heels. It has dealt with some rivals by buying them up like Instagram
Mark Zuckerberg says more than two billion people use Facebook every month, making it one of the worldâs most successful companies. But it has many other social media sites hot on its heels. It has dealt with some rivals by buying them up like Instagram
and WhatsApp but Snapchat has proved a harder nut to crack. Snapchat has taken off among young people, so much so that Forbes called it "the greatest existential threat yet to the Facebook juggernaut". Its founders stunned the world and embarrassed Facebook by turning down their
offer to buy the newer company. Many observers think Facebook is now trying to win the war by imitating several of Snapchatâs features, so much so that a senior Snapchat employee mocked Facebook for it in 2017.
Airbus vs Boeing
The clash of the aircraft giants started in the 1980s, when the European manufacturer Airbus started to eat into US firm Boeingâs market. Both sides and their governments have accused the other of receiving unfair state subsidies, taking their case to the World
The clash of the aircraft giants started in the 1980s, when the European manufacturer Airbus started to eat into US firm Boeingâs market. Both sides and their governments have accused the other of receiving unfair state subsidies, taking their case to the World
Trade Organisation. The bitter dispute became one of the longest and most costly in the trade bodyâs history. The feud has spilled over into advertising, with Airbus giving its rivalâs plane a Pinocchio-style nose in an image released in 2012. The two sides are still at each
The two sides are still at each otherâs throats, but Boeingâs biggest concern at the moment lies in the worldwide grounding of its 737 Max-fleet after two new airplanes crashed within five months in 2019. Major US airlines have since placed big orders with rival Airbus.
Star Wars vs Battlestar Galactica
When 20th Century Foxâs first Star Wars film proved an instant classic in 1977, Universal Studios struck back with its own sci-fi TV series, Battlestar Galactica. The move infuriated Fox, who promptly sued. It accused its rivals of borrowing so
When 20th Century Foxâs first Star Wars film proved an instant classic in 1977, Universal Studios struck back with its own sci-fi TV series, Battlestar Galactica. The move infuriated Fox, who promptly sued. It accused its rivals of borrowing so
much it added up to copyright infringement. It highlighted no fewer than 34 similarities, from a galactic war between democratic and authoritarian forces to the non-human musical entertainers, from the democratic sideâs captured heroine and wise, older hero to character names
like Skyler and Skywalker. Universal Studios ended up scrapping the series not long afterwards.
Marvel vs DC
Tensions have bubbled over many times between these two giants. Sometimes they have riled each other with their extremely similar characters, like Marvel Studios' 1964 superhero Wonder Man to DC Entertainmentâs Wonder Woman. One eye-catching stand-off involved the
Tensions have bubbled over many times between these two giants. Sometimes they have riled each other with their extremely similar characters, like Marvel Studios' 1964 superhero Wonder Man to DC Entertainmentâs Wonder Woman. One eye-catching stand-off involved the
Batman v Superman and Captain America: Civil War films, with both companies planning the same release date in 2016. But there has been a striking love-in between senior figures more recently. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige even called social media spats between fans
"ridiculous" in 2017, and praised DC characters like Superman. But donât expect fans to kiss and make up any time soon.
