Coca-Cola brings so much happiness that even the “Simpsons” universe becomes overwhelmingly warm-hearted.
The ad by Wieden & Kennedy kicks off in recognizable fashion, with Springfield residents heartlessly but amusingly picking apart Mr. Burns’ estate after he goes broke. Eventually, though, they invite him to join their good times over Coca-Cola. He doesn’t even drop a football that comes his way.
Coca-Cola didn't have the share the field with any Pepsi-Cola drinks in 2010 after its archrival decided to skip the game for the first time in 23 years to focus on its "Pepsi Refresh Project," a campaign all about social responsibility and heavy on digital media. Pepsi said the cost of advertising in the Super Bowl was not at the heart of its decision to keep its beverages from the game. (CBS that year was seeking between $2.5 million and $3 million for a 30-second spot.)
"The Super Bowl broadcast can be an amazing stage for advertisers if it aligns with their brand strategy; however, brands should not blindly anchor themselves to history," Frank Cooper, senior VP-chief consumer engagement officer at PepsiCo Americas Beverages, said then in a statement. "In 2010, each of our beverage brands has a strategy and marketing platform that will be less about a singular event, less about a moment, more about a movement."
Coke and Wieden also ran "Sleepwalker" in Super Bowl XLIV.
The Simpsons appeared in a slightly less warm-hearted Super Bowl ad for MasterCard in 2004.
BRAND: Coca-Cola
YEAR: 2010
AGENCY: Wieden & Kennedy
SUPERBOWL: XLIV
QUARTER AIRED: Q1