Coke or Pepsi? The answer affects your relationship

A new study suggests preferring different brands can affect your relationship Photo / Getty

By Claudia Tanner

It might not seem like a big deal if you like Coke while your partner likes Pepsi - but a new study suggests preferring different brands can affect how happy you are in your relationship.

Indeed, researchers have gone as far as to suggest your 'brand compatibility' as a couple is more important than shared interests or personality traits, the Daily Mail reports.

"People think compatibility in relationships comes from having similar backgrounds, religion or education," said Gavan Fitzsimons, a marketing professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business in North Carolina.

"But we find those things don't explain how happy you are in life nearly as much as this notion of brand compatibility."

The findings may sound trivial - but dig a little deeper into the research and it suggests the real issue may be about power imbalances in love.

Getting stuck with your partner's choice
The researchers' report, "Coke vs. Pepsi: Brand Compatibility, Relationship Power, and Life Satisfaction," was published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

It found that partners who had low power in their relationships - those who don't feel they can influence their partner's behavior - tend to find themselves stuck with their partner's preferred brands.

"If you are lower in relationship power and have different brand preferences than your partner, you're probably going to find yourself stuck with your partner's favorite brands, over and over again," said former Fuqua PhD student Danielle Brick.

"This could lead to a death-by-a-thousand-cuts feeling.

"Most couples won't break up over brand incompatibility, but it leads to the low power partner becoming less and less happy."

How the research was carried out
To test their theory, several studies were carried out - and produced the same results.

The researchers collected information about brand preferences in soda, coffee, chocolate, beer and automobiles from couples, some who were tracked over two years.

These results were analysed against assessments of relationship power and happiness.

"It's an extremely robust effect, we found it over and over and over again," said Professor Fitzsimons.

The researchers said brand compatibility isn't given enough weight in relationships, when it should be as brands increasingly play a bigger role in the daily lives.

"If you are a different religion than your romantic partner, you know that if this is an issue you can't work through, then the relationship isn't going to last," said Ms Brick.

"Conversely, if you like Coke and your partner likes Pepsi, you're probably not going to break up over it - but 11 years into a relationship, when he or she keeps coming home with Pepsi, day in and day out, it might start to cause a little conflict.

"And if you're the low-power person in the relationship, who continually loses out on brands and is stuck with your partner's preferences, you are going to be less happy."

Professor Fitzsimons said: "People who are looking for love should maybe consider including brand preferences on their dating profiles."