What you see above is a simalacrum of the violent "Grand Theft Auto" video game series, where carjackings are the primary mode of transportation. But unlike "Grand Theft Auto," where the soda brands include eCola and Sprunk, this world has Coca-Cola.
Once the tough guy here pays for his Coke instead of stealing it, the bleak landscape becomes bright and fear turns to harmony, that signature Coca-Cola theme. Coke and Wieden & Kennedy's Portland office, the shop behind this ad, would return to humanize digital distopias in later Super Bowls (see also "Avatar" in 2009 and "Download Happiness" in 2015.)
"Video Game" was part of the brand’s “The Coke side of life” campaign, which got its start in 2006 and was named a Creativity Award winner four months after Super Bowl XLI.
Director: Smith & Foulkes, who would also direct the "Avatar" spot a couple of years later. Production company: Nexus Productions. Executive producer: Chris O'Reilly. Head of production: Julia Parfitt. Producer: Kara McCombe.
Agency creatives: Sheena Brady, Shannon McGlothin. Agency producer: Niki Polyocan.
Sound consultant: Jonny Trunk. Head of 3D: Ben Cowell. Animation supervisor: Reece Millidge. Character supervisor: Darren Price. Modeling: Will Brand. Vehicle modeling: Wayne Kresil. Character modeling: Mattias Bjurstrom, Matt Clark. Background development: Adam Willis. Rigging: Luis San Juan Pallaras. Rigging: Anders Freij, Rodi Kaya. 3D FX: Ludovik Boden. Lead texturing: Philippe Gaulier. Texturing: Claudia Torres, Joan Cabot, Jaime Fernandez. Animation: Stuart Doig.
BRAND: Coca-Cola
YEAR: 2007
AGENCY: Wieden & Kennedy
SUPERBOWL: XLI
QUARTER AIRED: Q2
