Coke Plugs Diversity, and Soda, in a Poetic Super Bowl Ad
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Coke is making a diversity play in the Super Bowl this year, albeit with a lighter touch than its spot four years ago that was seen by some as taking a political stance by depicting “America is Beautiful” sung in a variety of languages, from Hindi to Senegalese.
The marketer puts an equal number of diverse faces in this year’s ad for its flagship soda brand, which will run as a 60-second spot in the fourth quarter. But the ad by Wieden & Kennedy Portland will likely draw less of a polarizing reaction than the 2014 spot because it uses an original poem that is more about Coke than anything that could be seen as political. The ad, called “The Wonder of Us,” markets the Cola as suitable for everyone, no matter a drinker’s race, background or beliefs.
The Coke-as-unifier theme might be tough for some viewers to swallow in today’s cynical age, especially as soda brands deal with sales headwinds amid health concerns. But Coke execs say the spot sticks with the brand’s ethos of promoting optimism and inclusion. Indeed, strains of that approach are apparent in a lot of classic Coke advertising, including the “Hilltop” spot in which the brand famously sought to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.
