We live in the age of technology. Our generation has almost unlimited access to the Internet through smartphones, tablets and computers. Most people in the millennial generation are familiar with the use of technology. Since many of us consume technology on a daily basis, information can be accessed and shared with the touch of a button; however, not all of that information is positive.
Coca Cola recognizes that and addresses this problem in their latest Super Bowl commercial, #MakeitHappy. Because of their already established ethos from being a well-known and trusted brand, they’re able to reach out to a large targeted audience. The commercial portrays individuals who are consuming negative information on the Internet, but the power of Coca Cola is used to turn this negative information into something positive to spread happiness. Utilizing a message that targets nearly all users of technology helps the brand connect directly with consumers who may face the negative effects of technology.
The goal of this advertisement isn’t to tell consumers how delicious their soda is or why they should buy it, but instead they are working to create brand awareness with their company and happiness. If Coca Cola can make other people happy, then it can make you happy too. Their focus is on creating brand awareness so that when consumers see Coke, they associate it with positivity and happiness. In this age of technology that can easily misused, Coca Cola here is to help spread some happiness around.
This type of advertising is consist with other Coca Cola advertisements such as #AmericaisBeautiful, which has created a solid brand foundation that consumers are familiar with. By using consistency, Coca Cola is able to use their advertisements to start a conversation with its consumers.
So, How will you #MakeitHappy this year?
-Anna Joy Zima, Hannah Rodgers, Kaitlyn Russell
IMC Hawks Blog 
I am not sure that I agree with Coca-Cola’s use of this topic for name brand marketing. Yes, I am aware that they are trying to pair themselves with an unpleasant situation to make the brand seem pleasant and able to bring people happiness. I would be more of an advocate for this tactic of Coca-Cola if they were partnering with a organization that helps fight cyber-bullying; unfortunately that is not the case. It seems like a heavy commercial that does nothing productive for the society.
This was one of my favorite commercials from the Super Bowl! I love that such a global and well known brand is concerned with how people today are communicating on the internet rather than promoting themselves as the best or selling themselves based on their flavor. I believe that in this day and age, it is much easier to be a bully behind a keyboard than it is with face to face communication. Overall, the web could use some more happy vibes. Although Coke used this commercial to promote its story and brand, a positive and happy correlation is a good one to have!
I had never thought much about commercials and the brand that they portray in the 60 seconds or so they are on our screen. I noticed the coca-cola commercial during the superbowl along with the McDonalds commercial because they gave a much more optimistic vibe than some of the insurance and car commercials we saw! I’m not a huge fan of coca-cola or McDonalds but they both were successful in staying in my head after the game was over!
And Coca Cola does it again with yet another iconic advertisement. This brand is recognized and celebrated across the nations. Just take a look at the numerous scholarly studies published, highlighting the fact that this soda is more accessible around the world than most medicines. Now, I think we can owe this fact to one of the most effective tactics Coca Cola has used to market their brand, consistency. As mentioned in the blog post, consistency starts conversations amongst consumers. Consumers are familiar with the brand, they trust the brand for their loved-ones, and they have come to expect the best from Coca Cola. Taking a look back to the last well known Coke commercial, #AmericaisBeautiful, an ad that while sparked controversy, also influenced conversation. For weeks, Coca Cola was featured in news stories, it was THE topic of conversation across all social media platforms, and it for some people, Coke redeemed themselves as brand. Really enjoyed this post, keep it up!
I absolutely love this commercial! It was by far the best commercial there was during the game. I liked how instead of trying to push their brand onto people, Coca-Cola was trying to show people what they were about. They want you to be happy when you see their product. They are happy making it for you, and they want you to feel happy in return. I feel like there was also a background story going on as well. It was as if Coca-Cola was against and fighting to stop bullying. The commercial targeted all different ages of people, who either seemed down or picked on. Once the Coca-Cola brand flashed in front of them, it was as if nothing happened, and it made their day. I really enjoy seeing commercials like this because I don’t feel pressured into buying their product, but instead just feel happy they are targeting my emotions. #KeepMakingItHappy
This commercial is such an awesome way to get people’s attention. Unfortunately our population is overwhelmed with negative comments but a short commercial like this can make an impact. Coke took the opportunity to send out a message and even gave themselves publicity. It is brands like this that I think highly of. Although the targeted audience was a wide range of individuals, I think it is important for children to watch this commercial as well.
Of all the commercials aired during the SuperBowl, this Coca-Cola commercial was one of the ones that stood out in my head the most. Most ads annoy me and I would rather not watch them, but this Coca-Cola ad made me feel surprisingly happy and warm in a matter of thirty seconds. Coming from a commercial this has not happened in a long, long time. Technology has in many ways taken over our lives, and everyone knows very well the many negative impacts it can have in addition to the positive ones – we see it all the time, and by capitalizing on this problem we all see all the time, they made Coke appealing because they made people happy. By intending to start some sort of movement, a company can easily put themselves in jeopardy, as seen with the controversial #AmericaIsBeautiful campaign the did before. I guess for Coke the second time is the charm because they nailed it with this ad.
I’m glad this was posted. It was an iconic ad as well as a really smart advertising move. Thanks.
This commercial was my favorite one during the super bowl. Coca Cola has always portrayed them selves with happiness and this time they intertwined what Americans are obsessed with and made every situation happy. Cyber bullying is a new and upcoming thing so this commercial was brilliant to use this as also as an awareness of that matter as well. Coke always has great commercials and in return they have lots of consumers.
I definitely can appreciate the message that the commercial is attempting to send. However, I can’t help but wonder if it would have been more effective if it focused more on the spreading of positive messages from person to person rather than Coca Cola seeping into a computer and changing the messages from negative to positive. Coca Cola usually produces such happy, upbeat commercials that I would have expected them to keep the consistency. This just seemed kind of dark and didn’t play on ethos as well as I think it could have. It is nice to see a trusted brand contributing to an important conversation about cyber bullying instead of purely focusing on selling a product.
In this entry, you mentioned the phrase, “spread happiness”, which up until this point, has been coke’s slogan. They are now attempting to change their slogan to, “make it happy”. The change of their slogan, along with with the new redesign of their can may suggest that Coca Cola is trying to re brand themselves. From an IMC perspective, my question is what does the change of their slogan contribute to Coca Colas re branding? What is it’s significance?