Super Bowl Commercial: Coca-Cola Zero – "Mean Troy"
Feb 2nd, 2009 by Steve
What's the Super Bowl without commercials? And what's an update on BevReview.com without a look at the beverage-related spots broadcast during Super Bowl XLIII?
Brand: Coca-Cola Zero
Title: "Mean Troy"
Agency: Crispin Porter+Bogusky
In an ad that paid homage to the original 1981 Coke commercial featuring Mean Joe Greene, The Coca-Cola Company debuted the first Coke Zero Super Bowl ad, showcasing just how big this brand has become for the company. Back in 2008, Coke mentioned how this brand was part of its "Red-Black-Silver" marketing strategy. The plan seems to be working off, as in 3rd Quarter 2008, Coca-Cola Zero saw 30% growth, one of the only bright spots in the carbonated soft drinks segment.
The new ad features Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu, mimicking the role originally played by Greene. However, just like Coke Zero is different from the flagship, this ad goes a different direction as well, while still paying tribute to the original. Overall, it's a well executed piece, however if you didn't have context of the original 1981 ad (and I'm guessing most of the younger viewers did not), then it probably wouldn't have made much sense. Still, it showcases just how far Coke Zero has come after its botched U.S. launch in those ugly white-labeled bottles back in 2005.
Of course, don't get me started about how the commercial features Coke Zero is glass bottles… where are you going to find those?
[...] Two beverage companies featured advertising during the Super Bowl this year… it's not a surprise that they were The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo. Coke fielded 3 unique ads, while Pepsi showed 5. We've done detailed analysis on each of these ads individually, but here's a quick overview: Coca-Cola Zero – "Mean Troy" [...]