FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog
June 13, 2005
Yo Homey: CP+B Revamps Famous Coke Ad for New Generation
When I visited Miami ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky this past winter, there was some buzz crackling within the office that Coca-Cola may soon become a new client. There were winks and nods of "stay tuned," but nothing definite.
But now it looks like CP+B landed what could be Coke's most important assignment in recent memory: To revive its famous "Hilltop" campaign in which an international cast of everyman hippies gathered to sing the legendary jingle, "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." Ah yes--polyester bell-bottoms, world harmony, and cold Coca-Cola--could there be any better leitmotif to capture the early 1970s?
CP+B, which made its name on the backs of hot brands such as Ikea, Mini, and Virgin Atlantic, has recently taken on more mainstream clients, most notably Burger King. There too, a mothballed campaign, "Have It Your Way," was revived mostly to positive results. But so far (or at least what's been reported), the updating of Coke's "Hilltop" seems to be veering into some tricky territory, where a bunch of white honkeys are creating a campaign aimed at roughly non-white, "Hip-Hop" audiences. The new lyrics to "Chilltop," as the campaign was renamed, and which is sung by G. Love (who is quite a good choice, it must be said), have about as much personality as the mahogany table around which they were surely penned: "I'd like to teach the world to chill, take time to stop and smile/I'd like to buy the world a Coke and chill with it a while."
Yikes. Call me a crank, but what was so inspiring about my visit to CP+B was its intense reverence to originality. Unless it's done in some mocking, ironic way (say white guys sitting around a conference room table creating ads for Hip-Hoppers), where, may I ask, is there even a kernel of ingenuity in the line, "I'd like to teach the world to chill"? Am I missing something?
Posted by Ryan Underwood at June 13, 2005 11:44 AM | Category: advertising + PR |
16 Comments
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I loved advertising and marketing so much that I got my first degree in it. Dad's nagging won out, though, and I pursued accounting instead. In the entertaining way that life comes full circle I found myself in an meeting with an advertising firm from Chicago last year. The topic was how to market something that would primarily appeal to an ethnically diverse young, poor, Southern audience. Needless to say, the three old white guys from Chicago weren't really "getting it". I was saved by the bell (or at least ringtone) and had to rush out to take a phone call from my boss. I quickly told him, "Based on these guys I'm embarressed to have a degree in Marketing."
Based on your description I'm going into mourning for the new Coke ads. You can be sure that if they're bad it will lead to the sort of derision that had my friends singing "Coke is **it!" back in the day.
CP+B? Geniuses. Considering their track record for creating engaging, innovative advertising, I am fully compelled to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.
They actually seem to have *fun* developing their advertising campaigns, and it shows in their work. Hate it or love it, everyone will be talking about it the next day, which seems to be the CP+B modus operandi: "no middle-of-the-road ideas allowed!"
I'll preface this by admitting that I'm a huge fan of CP+B (huge because I send them fan mail and the occasional cooler of beer). And while I'd like to let the rope out a little for "chilltop" as a homage to the real thing, I can't do it. After the brilliance of getting the Burger King doors to open in and out (push-pull-have it your way) I expected more. Certainly Coke is out of ideas, but CP+B?
But I'll be the first to send more fan mail if executional brilliance saves this latest round of Coke's unoriginal thinking. But I doubt it.
I am disturbed by the chorus of unblinking, unthinking praise lavished on CPB. Granted, they've done some terrific work. But not even they can live up to the insane amount of hype they have generated - and that otherwise reputable, responsible publications like "Fast Company" continue to perpetuate.
Bottom line is, none of us can say for sure whether the commercial is brilliant or banal until we see it for ourselves. So let's reserve judgement until then, shall we?
Who Cares? It's just soda pop.
Wasn't the original theme song penned by Barry Manilow? Yeah, maybe he's cheeze, but at least CP+B could have gotten G. Love to write the lyrics as well as sing them - he's as good a lyricist as he is a singer, despite the lameness of all but the first G. Love album.
Barry Manilow ain't dead - they should get him back to work on it. Now that would be retro, and as much as I'm scared by Manilow, even I'd probably find it cool.
When I first heard about this in the Wall Street Journal I had a good laugh. Reading more about the inside story here just confirms my initial reaction of "what were they thinking?"
Let's see...I believe in one fell swoop Coca-Cola and their agency of record will be able to alienate Boomers as well as fans of Rap and Hip-Hop.
For this, I award Coca-Cola and their agency of record CP+B the Dorkeriffic.com AdverDORK award.
G Love is a GREAT artist. He is not "hip-hop." (Whatever that means anymore.) His music is a fusion of rap, jazz. rock,and blues music. His band consists of live musicians with an original sound. He appeals to all, check out the website, listen to his music, and then decide on what you think. www.philadelphonic.com
Barry Manilow? No sweetie, even cheezier, the original Hilltop tune was written by The New Seekers.
Actually, you're both wrong! (well, Dabitch is close). The New Seekers recorded the song for the ad (and then later the slightly re-worked version for the hugely successful commercial release). But they didn't write it. The way that Coke has it (see www2.coca-cola.com/heritage.cokelore_hilltop.html for the full, weepy details) it was actually the CD for the account at McCann-Erikson, Bill Backer, who had the initial idea for the lyrical tag and then thrashed it out with English tunesmiths-for-hire Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. I know all this the hard way as I have gone through the mangle trying to get copyright clearance on the lyrics for an academic paper published last year -- upshot was, Coke denied having the rights and the writers obfuscated to eternity (so I had to paraphrase instead). Bitter? Me?
I cannot believe that some of you are saying G. Love's performance in the Coke commercial is an embarassment? WOW. G. Love is original, great acoustic musical flavor. This commercial was not meant to appeal to the rap & hip-hop generation. They wanted the viewers to see that it is cool to just chill with a Coke. If me and my buddies are just hangin out with nothing to do, I'll put in "The Hustle," a great album by G. Love. don't hate, appreciate.
I get it the whole idea. Chill. Just friggin chill...and buy a freakin coke. Coke brings us together then it infests your brain and turns you into a paranoid dillusional psycho nutbag that you turn on your friends and kill your neighbors, so chill. just Chill out. take a chill. take a chill from coke. you cant chill when you have coke searing through your veins. Jump wouldve been a great song to pick. but what do i know? Im a non hip hop white guy.
I hate this new coca-cola ad. I like the ad from the 70's. If they redid this version it be awsome!
Love is two people sipping Coca Cola from the same straw on a warm sunny day.
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