Coca-Cola ‘America is Beautiful’ Case Study
It’s Beautiful — Coca-Cola’s 2014 Super Bowl commercial featuring a culturally and linguistically diverse America — was coordinated with social media outreach to 87 million people. The commercial was the #1 trending topic on Facebook during the Super Bowl and for the 2 days after.
Script
It’s the Super Bowl: An American sports institution, arguably the biggest day of the year for TV advertising.
In a sea of huge production budgets and big brand promises, how does Coca-Cola become more than just Coca-Cola? Tell their story about the real America and the people in it, the diverse, welcoming America that belongs to every person who calls her home.
A commercial airs during the Super Bowl, a commercial that’s beautiful to many, but controversial to some. The noise begins, but then a positive conversation begins, cancelling out all the noise and everyone is there to witness the change in the palm of their hand.
Using selects from the film, we crafted individual relevant messages to specifically targeted custom audiences on Facebook, inviting them to take part in our story.
An experience so personal and at such incredible scale has never been done before. We even took unused behind-the-scenes footage telling the stories of the real people and families in the film and shared it with key audience segments, keeping the positive conversation growing even after the commercial aired.
- LGBT: 22 million
- Mexican/USH: 8.2 million
- Asian Americans: 2.5 million
- Israeli Americans: 2 million
- Parents Ntl Parks: 500,000
- Interracial Parents: 132,000
- Cowboys and Ranchers: 1.4 million
- Arab Americans: 11.2 million
- Service Men & Women: 8.8 million
- Indian Americans: 1.8 million
- Native Americans: 1.6 million
- Dancers: 800,000
- Surfers: 2 million
Coca-Cola changed a nation’s perception of what makes our land beautiful, giving the opportunity for the real America to speak on Facebook for everyone hear.
[Coke reached 87 million people with a personalized invitation, driving 63 million free impressions, making it the #1 trending topic on Facebook during the Super Bowl… and the 2 days after.
Average engagement per post:
- 18,447 likes
- 2,443 comments
- 5,604 shares
The Wall Street Journal: “Budweiser, Cheerios & Coca-Cola won the brand battle by creating sustained brand impact.”
Inspiring a more Beautiful America to share its voice.]
Coca Cola has spoken and they’ve said, “America is beautiful.”
Year
2014Related Materials
Coca-Cola’s #AmericaIsBeautiful Super Bowl Commercial
According to Ad Age: Coca Cola’s #AmericaIsBeautiful commercial ranked a modest 17th on USA Today’s 2014 Super Bowl Ad Meter, scoring a 6.06, likely reflecting the commercial’s polarizing effects. (The winner, Budweiser’s “Puppy Love,” scored 8.29.)
Coca-Cola’s #AmericaIsBeautiful Earned Media
Coca-Cola’s #AmericaIsBeautiful Behind-the-Scenes
Coca-Cola’s Response to the Controversy
Presenting America The Beautiful in multiple languages yielded responses on social media ranging from pride to outrage.
Coca-Cola responded: “America is beautiful and Coca-Cola is for everyone. It’s Beautiful was created to celebrate Coke moments among all Americans who together enjoy ice cold, refreshing Coke. For centuries America has opened its arms to people of many countries who have helped to build this great nation. It’s Beautiful provides a snapshot of the real lives of Americans representing diverse ethnicities, religions, races and families, all found in the United States. All those featured in the ad are Americans and America The Beautiful was sung by bilingual American young women. We believe It’s Beautiful is a great example of the magic that makes our country so special, and a powerful message that spreads optimism, promotes inclusion and celebrates humanity – values that are core to Coca-Cola.”
Follow-Up Ads
Despite the controversy, Coca-Cola must have been satisfied with the response because a longer, 90-second version of the ad ran during the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Two years later, in 2016, Coca-Cola ran a re-cut version of the commercial, with a new tagline: “Together is Beautiful.” The updated tagline seems responsive to anti-immigration and anti-Muslim sentiment.
Hilltop
Embracing diversity and multiculturalism is not new to Coca-Cola, which produced one of the most memorable cause marketing ads of all time, Hilltop, with the classic line: “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.”