In blind taste tests, they are indistinguishable, but people can tell the difference. Neuroscience has demonstrated that difference is all advertising. People prefer drinking Coke over Pepsi, but the people in India are beginning to have a different preference that favors Pepsi.

Bottling plants for the two cola makers have sprung up all over India where the public is noticing a key difference between plant A over B. In a real world sampling, the Indians can tell the difference between Pepsi and Coke, and they will tell you that Pepsi is their favorite. Here’s why.

The BBC reports that there are water shortages throughout India, Radio Australia produced a detailed Indian drought documentary in 2005, and CNN aired the story of droughts in 2006. Water is the most valuable asset in the growing country where it is only becoming more scarce.

Eighteen years ago, Pepsi established a program called Positive Water Balance (PWB). In the manufacturing of soda, as much as 2.5 gallons is used to create a liter of soda, resulting in a net loss for the local water source. PWB addressed this issue and the larger social issue of growing water scarcity by cutting water usage as much as possible and involving Punjab Agricultural College and local farmers in the development of programs that benefit local farms. Pepsi took a step further to work with local farmers to reduce their own water usage. PWB paid off. Pepsi has been invited by the Punjab State Government to participate in the local community to deliver interventions to help reduce the water use of agriculture. One of the most interesting offers is to become a partner in the development of the world’s largest citrus farm.

On the opposite side of the cola wars, Coke receives yearly awards for singular units for pollution control, develop PR fact sheets telling the truth about the cola production process, and generally being picked on for being the big guy. Why is it “Always Coca-Cola”?