In the 1990s, McCann-Erickson developed a television ad for Coke to kick off that year's summer campaign. The ad was trying to convey a father and son from another planet, with the father explaining that, in the summer, earthlings worship something called the "sun." The camera zoomed in on a beach as though the two were flying in from outer space when the picture showed a beautiful, young woman drinking a refreshing Coke in front of a Coke vending machine on the beach, and the son asked his father, "Is that the sun?" The agency struggled with the commercial to get the message across that they wanted Coke to be perceived as the center of our universe, eventually coming up with a new editing technique to convey the meaning they wanted. According to a McCann-Erickson professional working on the campaign, they wanted to do it because "it had never been done before." In spite of these creative efforts and the highly professional execution, the ad was not effective and ran for only a short time on television. In terms of the four fundamental concepts that must work in concert for an ad to be truly effective, which one was deficient in this campaign that caused it to be ineffective?
A) creative idea
B) execution
C) media
D) strategy
E) all of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The deficiency was in the strategy. The creative idea, execution, and media might have been well-implemented, but if the strategy behind the ad does not effectively communicate the intended message or connect with the target audience, the ad will not be successful. In this case, the ad's strategy to position Coke as the center of our universe through a complex narrative might not have resonated or been clear to viewers, leading to its ineffectiveness.

In the 1990s, McCann-Erickson Developed a Television Ad for Coke