I’d like to buy the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
That’s the real thing
What the world wants today
Is the real thing…
SO goes the one of the most successful jingles—and television commercials in history—by the world’s first and oldest softdrink: Coca-Cola, or simply Coke.
The hilltop commercial was first aired on July 8, 1971, and the first that Coca-Cola shot in full color. Conceived during the fall of 1968, the “Real Thing” commercials sought to weave the drink into a new dream of America, in which divisions between young and old, counterculture and mainstream, black and white, poor and rich, liberal and conservative had been resolved.
The jingle would come to be known as “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”. But for a kid like me growing up at the time, who had no access to television and relied on the radio, it stuck to my mind as the “Real Thing”—minus the Coke drink itself, either because we were not allowed to drink cola as a youngster or we don’t have purchasing power for such luxuries as softdrinks at that time. Of course, we had Coke on special occasions and whenever family relatives visit my parents. Since then, Coke and its partner advertising agency have been sending teams of photographers and art directors into the great land, which is America, to capture—or to stage—slices of American life far from the cultural battlefronts, eventually creating “Real Thing” images including teenagers taking a break from fixing a roof, a boy and a girl dancing in a wheat field, a young woman cutting her husband’s long hippie hair.
Spanning generations and 130 years later, since its first sale at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, in May 1886, Coke is still known for its poignant images, making the softdrink a part of everyday life in more than 200 countries around the world.
TASTING THE FEELING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
THE legacy of Coca-Cola continues as it unveils another powerful, global campaign, celebrating moments made more special with the simple pleasure of drinking Coke.
Rolled out first in Paris in January 19, the campaign features the newest tagline “Taste the Feeling.”
“Every day, millions of people around the world reach for an ice-cold Coca-Cola,” says Marcos de Quinto, chief marketing officer at The Coca-Cola Co. “The new global approach is a powerful investment behind all Coca-Cola products, showing how everyone can enjoy the specialness of an ice-cold Coca-Cola, with or without calories, with or without caffeine.” “‘Taste the Feeling’ makes Coca-Cola the hero of our advertising again. The new campaign is all about capturing both the functional and emotional traits of Coca-Cola—the uplifting refreshment of drinking our product, and how having a Coke makes any moment more memorable and more special,” says Stephan Czypionka, vice president for marketing at Coca-Cola Philippines.
Anchored in the fundamentals of the Coca-Cola brand—the Spencerian script, the red disc and the iconic glass bottle—the creative campaign brings a new visual and auditory experience for consumers, still featuring authentic and real moments. Poignant stories come to life again through a series of ordinary moments linked by the drink, such as ice-skating with friends, a first date, a first kiss and a first love.
Aside from traditional media, the new campaign imagery will also be used in digital media. The shareable and customizable interactive digital experience is made up of different GIFs that reflect feelings associated with drinking Coke, plus the hashtag #TasteThe Feeling.
During the Philippine launch of the campaign, Coke unveiled their newest ambassadors, headlined by the country’s hottest love teams: Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, James Reid and Nadine Lustre, Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano, Enchong Dee and Janella Salvador, and Bailey May and Ylona Garcia.
As part of the campaign in the country, Coke will go around some of the biggest colleges, universities and tambayans to turn more ordinary moments extra special. One of the biggest activations that teens should look forward to is the roll out of the Coca-Cola Emoticons—a cool and fun way of tasting and sharing the feeling of drinking Coke with buddies and friends. Exciting activities are also lined up for the rest of the year, including giving out millions of free Coke “to make millions of moments special.”