What do Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods and Bill Gates have in common?

I was thinking today about different brands and their rivalries. I'm sure 95% of you would think as I did that the number one brand rivalry in our society today is Coca Cola v Pepsi Cola. I reckon we are right when we think that. Sure enough, in this article we get an answer to that question.

OK, so we have Coca Cola v Pepsi Cola. I was thinking can we put an introvert/extrovert slant on this battle of the Colas? Can we judge the personality of the product by who they choose to promote it? Probably not but lets see.

I realise that this battle isn't as bloodthirsty as it once was, as it seems that Pepsi has branched out and is concentrating on other things but lets have a look at this topic historically.

When I think about Pepsi Cola my mind instantly goes to Michael Jackson.

Hmmm, I can imagine he liked to recharge in solitude. Judging what I have seen on television over the years I can't imagine him rushing off to party away the night at the newest, coolest, hottest nightclub in town.

OK, now, who have Coca Cola got to advertise for them over the years? One person I can think of is Sir Elton John. Do you remember the Diet Coke ads? I thought that they were pretty cool.

I've never met the man and I'm just speculating here but he looks quite extroverted, right. Flamboyant doesn't even begin to describe this fantastic entertainer.

So, does this make Pepsi introverted and Coke extroverted? Maybe. I might have to do a bit more research on this topic.

Next, Nike v Reebok. I think Nike is miles ahead of Reebok which is now owned by Adidas but lets look at two athletes who epitomise the Nike brand. I'm sure you know at least one of these guys but you probably know both, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. When you think Nike, I immediately think of Michael Jordan even though he hasn't played for many years and I also think of Tiger Woods who although not being in top form the last few years is still arguably the greatest golfer of all time.

According to this article guess who are the top of the list of introverted athletes. Yes, well done for guessing the aforementioned Jordan and Woods. So is Nike an introverted company? I don't know.

Lets look at Reebok. Guess what Reebok has thrown their weight behind in the last few years. If you guessed Crossfit, you would be correct.

Before continuing I have to disclose that I have trained at a Crossfit gym for three years.

When you watch the Crossfit Games or the announcements of the Open workouts, the crowds are very loud and proud. The constant cheering and woooooooing could only be done by a large group of extroverts who are getting their energy from everyone else in the stadium.

Nike is introvert and Reebok is extrovert? I'll let you decided.


Bill Gates v Steve Jobs

Not exactly brands per se but they represent two of the major brands in our lifetime and do I really need to say who the introvert is and who the extrovert is? Do you need me to type that out?

It is pretty well documented that Bill Gates likes his own company (by that I mean solitude) while it would seem that Steve Jobs was an extrovert.

So, does that mean their respective companies could be classified introvert/ extrovert?

Quite possibly. I'm not big on the whole computer industry but they say that more creative people like to use Apple and I equate creative with being out there which we know is not entirely correct as a lot of creative people in our history have been introverted.

At the end of the day, does it really matter that a company is this or that? If you enjoy using the product or service and it provides you with good quality for money then that is all that matters.