Coca-Cola teaches the world to sing again for calorie-free Coke

by Julia Pearlman, Brand Republic 15-Jun-05, 15:50

LONDON - Coca-Cola is remaking its iconic 'I'd like to buy the world a drink' advertising spot from 1971 with the aim of boosting flagging diet soft drink sales in anticipation of the launch of no-calorie drink Coke Zero.

The multimedia marketing campaign has been created by Miami-based agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, under the tagline "Everybody Chill" and comprises television, radio, outdoor, cinema and digital programming, as well as distributing 20m free samples.

The campaign has been designed to appeal to 18- to 34-year-olds, especially men, and will be in competition with Pepsi One.

The remake of the ad, which was shot on a hilltop in Italy in 1971 and began with the words "I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony...", will see the words changed to "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 for a while".

It is hoped the campaign will prove more successful than the launch of its mid-calorie drink Coke C2 last year, which suffered from the same poor sales that are hitting the whole fizzy drink sector as health conscious consumers switch to water and other health drinks.

Katie Bayne, senior vice-president for Coca-Cola North America, said: "When we created Coca-Cola Zero, we put together the only things that matter -- real Coca-Cola taste and zero calories. Coca-Cola Zero is for people who want great Coca-Cola taste, zero calories, and a new brand they can call their own."

In the UK, sales of fizzy soft drinks are down by £100m on last year with Coke losing £4m, a sales decline of 3%.

In April, Coca-Cola blamed an 11% fall in profits in part on a rise in marketing costs, including the $400m increase revealed in November, after years of neglect.

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