8 Memorable Coca-Cola Ads From Big Games Past
To get everyone fired up for this year’s broadcast, we're delving deep into the Coke archives and revisiting some of the brand’s most memorable Big Game ads. (Hint: We can’t publish these spots here, but you can find most of these with a quick YouTube search.) Take a look:
1980: "Mean Joe Greene"
Widely considered to be one of the greatest Big Game ads of all time, this spot presented a gentler side of the hulking Pittsburgh Steeler (whose team took home the title that night). In the ad, which actually debuted a few months earlier during the Major League Baseball playoffs, Greene limps to the locker room after a hard-fought game when a starstruck boy offers him his Coke. After initially declining the offer, Greene accepts and downs the bottle in a single gulp before continuing down the tunnel. Just when it looks as if the young fan will walk away empty-handed and heartbroken, his hero tosses over his #75 jersey and delivers the now-famous line: “Hey kid, catch!” The ad inspired a made-for-TV movie and even a 1999 Coke Zero spinoff starring fellow Steeler "Mean" Troy Palamalu.
1989: Diet Coke in 3D
1990: “Hilltop Reunion”
This refresh of the iconic 1971 Coke ad featuring “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” included most of the original cast members and their children. The company worked for much of the year to track down the original "Hilltop" stars, posting classified ads in many of the world's major newspapers. The sequel was the first to use 3D audio technology called QSound, which made the human ear “think” it was hearing sound from well outside the speaker area.
1991: Supporting the Troops
The company had planned to air a lighthearted halftime ad announcing the $1 million grand prize winner of a Diet Coke sweepstakes, but with the Persian Gulf War underway, ultimately decided to broadcast a pair of commercials saluting U.S. servicemen and servicewomen in the Middle East and announcing a $1 million donation to the USO.
“At the time, it was considered a bit of a
risk in that all brands were faced with having to make the decision of what
to do,” recalls
2007: “Videogame” and “Happiness Factory”
After a multi-year hiatus from the Big Game, Coke made its high-profile return to
advertising’s biggest stage with four buzzworthy ads, including a pair of animated
spots that won over fans and critics alike. In “Videogame” (above) a menacing-looking
action hero prowls the dark streets of an unnamed city, setting off a chain
reaction of small but meaningful good deeds and proving that “when you give a
little love, it all comes back to you.” Meanwhile, “Happiness Factory” (pictured at the top of the page) captures the magical world inside a
2008: "It's Mine"
The underdog finally gets his moment of glory
in this fan favorite, which fuses live action, computer animation and a few familiar faces. In the
spot, Thanksgiving Day parade floats vie for a giant
2009: “Heist”
In this animated ad set to a synchronized
classical music soundtrack, a team of bees,
ladybugs, grasshoppers, butterflies and other insects join forces to rob a
slumbering picnicker of a bottle of
What do these diverse spots share in common? "That spirt of optimism and classic approach to storytelling," Ryan concludes. "Those are the hallmarks of great
Other brands in Coke's portfolio have produced Big Game over the years, too, from the aforementioned Diet Coke and Coke Zero, to glacéau vitaminwater, Full Throttle, Vault and SURGE.
So.... what did we miss? List your favorite
