The Mad Men series finale ended with Don Draper at peace, freeing himself from his demons, and punctuated by one of the most iconic Coca-Cola commercials in history.
But the real story is that Coca-Cola has a re-routed flight, a bunch of pissed-off passengers and some fog to thank for its “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” ad campaign.
According to the Coke history books, in January 1971, Bill Backer, creative director on the Coca-Cola account for the McCann Erickson, was flying to London to meet with music producers to create radio ads for Coke. Because of heavy fog in London, the plane was forced to land in Ireland and stranded passengers in the airport for days. The passengers quickly began to bond over their experience, all while sharing snacks and — what else? — bottles of Coke.
When Backer finally reached London, he conveyed the scene to the Coca-Cola execs and the song writers, saying the message he hoped to portray in the ads was “to see Coke not as it was originally designed to be — a liquid refresher — but as a tiny bit of commonality between all peoples, a universally liked formula that would help to keep them company for a few minutes.”
Unfortunately, the idea wasn’t an immediate sell. A Coca-Cola music producer said if he could do something for everyone it the world he would “buy everyone a home first and share with them in peace and love.”
To which Backer responded, “Okay, that sounds good. Let’s write that and I’ll show you how Coke fits right into the concept.” And the rest is soda history.
A show like Mad Men has been heavily steeped in history and iconic ads that represent what the show is all about. In the end, the show was all about Don’s departure and finding happiness. Nothing is more Mad Men than ending the show with an iconic ad that’s all about happiness.
UPDATE, May 18, 12:39 a.m.: Coke tweeted a response to the Mad Men finale.
A bright idea indeed, Don. Thanks for thinking of us. #MadMen http://t.co/AyndyQKi12 https://t.co/9ltXOVN9Ni
— Coca-Cola (@CocaCola) May 18, 2015
Who do you think wrote the Coke ad in the Mad Men series finale? Vote below.
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