Thanks to Cliff Freeman and Partners (CF&P), New York, Coke Classic is enjoying a much-needed brand facelift.
It all started back in April, when Coca-Cola invited several ad shops —among them Leo Burnett Co., Chicago, and McCann-Erickson, New York, along with CF&P—to present pitches to replace or advance the then-current "Enjoy" campaign. Edge Creative, the now defunct ad shop, had created Coke advertising for most of the ’90s. But in the face of job cuts and dropping stock prices, Coke was ready for a change, and CF&P was deemed to be the right shop for the assignment.
In the spring, CF&P was awarded creative duties on the estimated $115 million account. The agency’s first effort for the pop brand consists of four spots: "Family Portrait," Graduation," "Army" and "Exchange Student." Two of the ads, "Family Portrait" and "Graduation," broke in August, while "Army" and "Exchange Student" began airing during the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games. The campaign was created by associate creative director/art director Taras Wayner, art director Jason Gaboriau and copywriter Adam Chasnow, and overseen by the shop’s chairman/ chief creative officer, Cliff Freeman.
The overriding theme of the spots is that Coke Classic is an integral part of the American experience and identity, and moments which happen without Coke are destroyed by the soda’s glaring absence. In a departure from Coke’s usual modus operandi—highly stylized images of people enjoying the soda—the new ads, all helmed by James Gartner, of bicoastal Gartner, take a more humorous approach, and use the misdirect.
In "Family Portrait," a touching scene unfolds: The once-in-a-lifetime reunion of five generations, who are going to pose for a family portrait. The scene is idyllic and Norman Rockwell-esque, and brings to mind ads for Kodak film or Hallmark cards. Everything seems to be going beautifully until the centenarian great-grandmother (played by 101-year-old Anna Boettger from Omaha) asks for a Coke. When she is told that there is no Coke, she goes ballistic, telling her relatives that "I’m one hundred and one years old, and this is probably the last time we’ll see each other." The perturbed woman then storms away in her wheelchair, trashing food as she goes.
In "Graduation," the absence of Coke turns two best friends into enemies. And a Hallmark-worthy moment is destroyed once again, in "Army," when a soldier, returning after three years of duty, is told by his parents that there is no Coke. In "Exchange Student," a family waits in the rain at a dark train station to meet the student coming to live with them. All is sugary sweetness until the girl asks shyly, "Coca-Cola?" Told there is none, she stomps off muttering what are sure to be some rather unflattering words in Chinese.
The creative team at CF&P felt it was important for Coke to go in a different, more humorous, direction. "We had presented a range of stuff that was funny and serious. … But [humor] is what they hadn’t been doing," notes Gaboriau. "A lot of their stuff was either too chest-beaty or, quite frankly, just forgettable. I think we felt one of our strengths is always humor. We thought we could use that to get them noticed again."
"We thought it could help them to be a bit looser," adds Wayner, a three-and-a-half year veteran of the ad shop.
One striking element of the spots is that the viewer never sees the actual product itself. "We didn’t know how [Coke] was going to react to that," Gaboriau says, noting that although they didn’t have it written out in a brief, the creatives had an idea of how to showcase the product if necessary. "[However], we did feel strongly that it works best without it there. … Not seeing it makes it stand out more than somebody actually drinking it."
Freeman explains that the agency wanted to present what it believed was best for Coca-Cola: "Our primary thought is not what the client is going to buy, but what we think is right for the brand. … But there’s a new group at Coke now and I felt they wanted something that was really going to connect with consumers. That’s what was important to them—to speak to the consumer. I felt they had a lot of courage and wanted to do some really terrific stuff, so we never held back." Freeman promises some new spots in the near future—the agency is in the concept stage on some new work—and adds that they will be different from the current ads, but will be "very appealing."
According to Gaboriau, who claims to be the only living graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology to actually land a job, the team felt a personal stake in helping to revamp Coke’s image. When he read that Coke was losing ground with certain markets, he says, "I started to get upset. … You and I have always known Coke to be the number one brand and sort of American; and that’s what the idea of the spots is—that people are forgetting it, but it’s really part of America."
Gaboriau adds that he feels it’s a mistake to judge the spots against other CF&P ads, which are noted for their humor. "People [who know advertising] are looking at it going, ‘Oh, it’s Cliff Freeman and Partners; there’s a joke coming,’ " he observes. "But people who are watching TV in their living rooms don’t know who Cliff Freeman is; they don’t know a joke is coming. And [the spots] suck you in and the message comes across clearly."
One reason the spots work so well, the team believes, is Gartner, who directed the ads. "We were all involved in choosing Gartner," reports Wayner. "He was perfect for these spots: When we called him, we said, ‘You know, we kind of want you to make fun of yourself.’ Because he’s been doing this for years, these beautiful spots. He can capture these moments and realize these occasions so wonderfully. And then we just put the twist on it. He brought a lot to this as well."
"He captures this genre like no other director can," adds Gaboriau.
Even though CF&P is no stranger to important accounts such as Staples, Go.com and Coca-Cola’s overseas Fanta account, Freeman admits that getting a piece of the Coke Classic account is "a huge deal." "This is a personal opinion," he says, "but I think Coke is the quintessential brand in the history of brands. It just has such a heritage. It almost represents the whole notion of branding a product. … I think the opportunity to do something good for Coke is really great."
Freeman says he is very pleased with the work his shop has done, and is delighted with the direction Coke is taking in its advertising. "I hope these spots are more about human beings and how they feel about a brand, says Freeman. "I think we’re off to a good start with them."v
