Although the Super Bowl has been played in February every year but one since 2002, marketers have rarely taken the occasion to mark Black History Month. One exception came in 2007's Super Bowl XLI with "Especially Today," one of Coca-Cola's four ads in the game, all via offices of Wieden & Kennedy.
The ad, by Wieden in Portland, uses text on the screen and Coke botles of various eras to honor significant moments in black history. The first slide, "North Pole, 1909 - A black man is on top of the world," refers to explorer Matthew Henson's groundbreaking travels with Robert Peary.
PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division also paid tribute to African-American achievement in an ad during Super Bowl XLI, albeit in a different way ("This Is History").
BRAND: Coca-Cola
YEAR: 2007
AGENCY: Wieden & Kennedy
SUPERBOWL: XLI
QUARTER AIRED: Q2