Coca-Cola is widely recognized by nearly everyone, given its immense presence as a global giant with branches spanning the entire world. The soft drink company achieved unparalleled dominance in the international market during the late twentieth century, solidifying its popularity for decades. And much of its success could be attributed to its unmatched marketing endeavors from the last decade that saw the brand dish out top-notch advertisements one after another.
So, here we are with 5 awesome Coca-Cola commercials from the last decade that helped the brand cement its position as a premier soft drink brand in markets across the world.
1. Brotherly Love(2016)
It’s hardly uncommon to see boys bullying their younger siblings all the time. I love bullying my younger siblings too. But here’s the thing- nobody else has the right to even lay a finger on them! And that’s exactly what this 30-second advert conveys.
This 2016 Coca-Cola commercial shows a young lad being bullied by his elder brother. With Avicii’s ‘Hey Brother’ playing in the background, you start feeling somewhat sorry for the boy, and some of you who might have faced this ‘harassment’ at the hands of your elder sibling might have even taken an instant dislike for the elder brother in this ad. But that’s when he comes to the rescue of his younger brother, intimidating away the boys who were trying to take his Coke.
You see, a bit of bullying laced with an ounce of love works just fine for siblings.
2. Make It Happy (2015)
While the Internet has surely played a huge role in bringing people closer, it has inadvertently also become a medium for propagating hate and bitterness. In 2015, Coca-Cola decided to make the world a better place by eliminating much of the online toxicity with its #MakeItHappy campaign.
This 60-second spot opens with teens mocking one of their classmates via video camera and hurtful comments being typed into a social media feed. The advert then cuts to a dimly lit server room, where a technician accidentally spills some Coke into one of the equipment. The spilled Coke leads to a digital glitch of happiness as it turns hateful messages into words of encouragement and love.
While the overall idea might seem somewhat over-the-top, the creativity of the campaign can’t be questioned. After all, it doesn’t hurt to have a bit of positivity around us, does it?
3. Ummeed Wali Dhoop (2012)
Speaking of positivity, there’s no way we’d have missed this wonderful 60-second spot that Coke released towards the end of 2011 that inspired confidence of better things to come in 2012.
With conspiracy theories of the world ending in 2012 floating in almost all media outlets, this lovely Indian advert encouraged viewers to bid goodbye to fears and doubts. The ad ran slides that provided positive statistics to drive home that not everything is lost in a world where fear, greed, and despair are becoming increasingly commonplace.
The commercial ended with the message- there are reasons to believe in a better world. Well, we all do!
4. Destapa tu Naturaleza (2013)
All right, enough of positivity! Let’s give you a bit of a reality check with this 2013 Argentinian spot that captured the reality of early parenthood.
The ad shows a young couple being mired in chaos after the birth of their first child. From waking up at odd hours and not being able to have sex at all to preventing their child from eating dog food and tripping on their child’s toys- the ad de-glamorizes parenting without sugar-coating anything and gets right into the ugliest realities of being a parent!
And that’s when the woman comes up with another shocker- she’s pregnant with another child. Thankfully, the look of horror on the man’s face soon turns into that of joy and excitement- courtesy of the Coke he’s been drinking!
5. Small World Machines (2013)
And here’s my favorite Coke advert. Indians and Pakistanis have been at each other’s throats ever since the formation of the two countries in 1947. Unfortunately, despite several peace initiatives, nothing has changed with regard to how the people from the two countries view each other.
The 2013 Coke campaign “Small World Machines” sought to break down the barriers and connect the people of the two nations by providing them with a live communications portal that showed what united them was way bigger than what set them apart.
From touching hands to drawing peace and happiness symbols, the portal finally gave the people of the two countries a way of connecting. While the situation between the two countries remains grim, this initiative of spreading love and peace was much appreciated.
Wrapping Up
And that was a wrap of some of the best Coca-Cola commercials. Coke has made a name for itself when it comes to producing highly engaging marketing campaigns and brands would do well to take a leaf out of Coke’s marketing. After all, it surely won’t hurt to learn a thing or two from the best in business.
We’ll be back with more wonderful commercials for you. Till then, stay tuned!