Kevin Readdean – Voice Talent

Coke ‘Ads’ Life

I would venture to say that there was about as much “Monday Morning Quarterbacking” going on today about the Super Bowl commercials as there were points of view floating around about the relative performances of the Colts and Saints in between station breaks. Media outlets, website, tweets, and the blogosphere are buzzing today about Doritios, Dodge and Denny’s, to name a few (see the VoiceCoaches Blog for a great overview). One of the best reviews to check out comes from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. The Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review provides a well respected annual analysis of Super Bowl advertisements based on a strategic ranking scheme. This year, Professors Tim Calkins and Derek Rucker and their team of students in the school’s Marketing Club gave their highest ranking to snack foods, car companies and Google. I have to agree with many of their points; these ads told entertaining and exciting stories and left lasting impressions. However, the two Coca-Cola spots which were my favorites from the big game, but didn’t make Kellogg’s list.

Coke’s “Hard Times” spot featuring the broke and downtrodden Mr. Burns getting a pick me up from friends and a Coke is quintessential Coca-Cola. It linked two prominent brands (The Simpsons and Coca-Cola) with the themes of fun, escape and jubilation. By featuring a lively and catchy tune along with the chance to see all of our favorite Springfield residents, the ad was pleasing on many levels. The creators even threw in some gags like Bart setting up Homer to be sprayed by his Coke when he opened it, and geeky Milhouse (voiced by Pamela Hayden) hitting the Coke bottle while airborne in his kite. This ad reinforced what we love about these two brands: “Have a Coke and a smile.”

The “Sleepwalker” ad again linked the Coke brand to the happiness benefit in a far-fetched but entertaining way. The lone character survives a wild sleepwalking safari on a quest for a Coke that can’t be satisfied as a dream alone. It ends will us laughing right along with the hyena.

The spots were developed by the creative masterminds at Wieden & Kennedy-Portland. See the W+K blog for clips of these spots and list of the creative teams involved in the productions.

I believe these ads succeed because they offer exactly what the country is looking for now: diversion from reality and delight in the simple things, and perhaps a better way to drink ourselves out of the Great Recession. “Coke Adds Life.”

So, at the end of the  big game, the voice-over guy liked the ads with the least amount of voice-over in them. Go figure…