In the 1970s America was at a cultural crossroads and Advertising was there. One of the most, in my opinion, iconic ads of the era took full advantage of the "hippie" bandwagon. 1971's Coca-Cola advertisement, "I'd like to teach the world to sing" showed everyday (yet attractive) people dressed in everyday (70s) fashion... people of every race who all wanted nothing more than world peace, racial harmony, and to drink Coca Cola.
There is more than one strategy apparent in this simple yet brilliant advertisement than originally meets the eye. The obvious bandwagon (look everyone is drinking Coke, the whole world in fact!), and even a bit of plain folks... notice every one of every race is drinking Coca-Cola (it is the real thing, you know). The strategy I never would have picked up on without the text (Media and Culture 7) is called the association principle. The text states that this is a "...persuasive technique used in most consumer ads that associates a particular product with a positive cultural value or image even if it has little connection to the product." In English, that just means that this commercial, like many others, tries to tie itself to a good image of society. So, along with trying to bill itself as "the real thing" (another association principle tactic) this Coca-Cola ad epitomized 70s culture (some would argue counter-culture) in America.
This ad offends no one, in fact it goes out of its way to include everyone. The target audience is, well, every peace loving American.
This ad was surely memorable, I don't know anyone over thirty who doesn't at least recognize the jingle. It's effectiveness however is questionable. Pepsi and Coke have been in an advertising war since 1903 (Coca-Cola was introduced in 1886, Pepsi in 1903). The advertising wars between the two companies have become part of our American Culture. Many of us remember the Pepsi Challenge! There are even multitudes of web sites dedicated to the struggle for market dominance between the soda giants... one of my favorites is Hongkiat. Both companies, in their bid to corner the carbonated beverage industry are known for stunning advertisements. Pepsi famously used Michael Jackson in a "famous person testimonial" strategy, Coca-Cola answered in the 1990s by creating their own famous person... the bears weren't famous really before the commercial but now many of my friends admit that when they think of Polar Bears they think not of endangered species but of Coca-Cola! You can even "meet" the bear at the Coca-Cola hub plant in Atlanta, GA.
The younger ones may think of Pepsi actually... with Pepsi jumping on Coke's "bandwagon" with their new ad... if you haven't see Pepsi's "Polar Bear Uncle Teddy Ad" I urge you to CLICK HERE!
Let's sum up this post and review: The featured ad, "I'd like to teach the world to sing" from Coca-Cola circa 1971 lasted about a minute and used three obvious tactics: Association Principle, Bandwagon, and Plain Folks. It takes advantage of the popular music of the times and appeals to most American's of the time period. It was an advertisement in the ongoing war between Pepsi and Coke (although not actually part of a series the way the Polar Bears are). The effectiveness of this ad is that it is memorable even now, more than 40 years later.
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