Coca‑Cola Uses Super Bowl to Celebrate Unity and Diversity in Both its Advertising and Hometown

Together is Beautiful

As millions of families, friends and rival fans huddle around screens big and small for next Sunday’s Big Game kickoff, Coca‑Cola will remind them that togetherness – and differences – are beautiful.

A new 60-second spot titled “A Coke is a Coke” highlights the fact that Coca‑Cola – any Coca‑Cola – is, and always has been, for everyone. In the ad, which will air during the pregame telecast immediately before the national anthem, a cast of animated characters representing various walks of life enjoy the taste of Coca‑Cola in multiple varieties and packages. Every image, word and voice featured in the spot is meant to bring people together – regardless of race, gender, origin, religion, profession, lifestyle or point of view – and celebrate their differences over an ice-cold Coke. “A Coke is a Coke” was created by Wieden+Kennedy and animated by Psyop.

"A Coke is a Coke" is a playful yet poignant expressions of the values the brand has embraced for more than 132 years.

“A Coke is a Coke” is a playful yet poignant expression of the values the brand has embraced for more than 132 years.

“The Big Game is such a great opportunity for America to come together, and for us to articulate what Coca‑Cola is all about,” says Jennifer Healan, group director, integrated marketing content, Coca‑Cola North America. “We’re excited to share ‘A Coke is a Coke’, which brings to life the optimism, diversity and inclusion our brand stands for in a unique way.”

The creative was inspired by a passage from pop-art icon Andy Warhol’s 1975 book, "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol":

What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same thing as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca‑Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and, just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke, and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it and you know it.

On social media, Coca‑Cola will invite fans to share the “Together is Beautiful” message by sending selfies celebrating what makes them both different and beautiful. Select images will be recreated using a similar illustrative style as the characters in “A Coke is a Coke” and featured in a mural on Coca‑Cola’s Instagram channel the night of the Big Game. The brand also will actively respond to followers on Twitter with uplifting messages from “A Coke is a Coke” characters.

Coca‑Cola has a long history of using the world’s biggest advertising stage to celebrate unity, especially during seasons of cultural division. In 2014 and 2018, the brand struck a similar chord with the buzzworthy “It’s Beautiful” and “The Wonder of Us.”

This year’s placement of “A Coke is a Coke” in the pre-game telecast builds on this legacy and, according to Brynn Bardacke, vice president, content and creative excellence, Coca‑Cola North America, is both appropriate and intentional.

“The timeless message of the spot is especially relevant today given what’s happening in society, and we hope it will resonate with viewers as they come together as a country to sing our national anthem,” she explains. “These values have been a constant for the Coca‑Cola brand because they’re enduring. And not only have we celebrated these values… Coca‑Cola is a brand and business that demonstrates them through action.”

Celebrating Diversity in Atlanta

Case in point, The Coca‑Cola Foundation has announced a $1 million grant to allow free admission for anyone visiting Atlanta’s National Center for Civil and Human Rights from Jan. 28 through the end of February (Black History Month). The goal: to connect the history of the American Civil Rights Movement with human rights and inclusion issues around the world and celebrate of role diversity and inclusion in the story of Atlanta.

“We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our hometown,” said Helen Smith Price, president of The Coca‑Cola Foundation, the company's global philanthropic arm. “(This grant) is all about giving visitors and residents alike the opportunity to understand Atlanta’s rich civil and human rights legacy, especially as tens of thousands of guests visit our city for the Big Game.”

Coca‑Cola has been central to Atlanta’s push to become more global, inclusive and welcoming. In 1965, Coca‑Cola leaders played a key role in ensuring that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was duly recognized by the city after winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Over the last decade, The Coca‑Cola Company and The Coca‑Cola Foundation have invested more than $160 million and tens of thousands of volunteer hours in support of social, economic and environmental programs throughout Atlanta, including a gift of the land where the Center for Civil and Human Rights Center sits.