Coca Cola Commercial 1997

This Christmas advert from 1997 sells the image of Christmas loved by Americans. The video begins with a man reading to a small boy. Magically, dreamlike, a brightly lit Coca Cola truck bursts into the room. A boy outside rings a church bell to summon everyone into a winter wonderland with bright lights, a parade, Christmas trees and an unending stream of illuminated trucks. Everyone is excited and the musical mantra of 'holidays are coming..holidays are coming' adds to the expectation. At the end of the video, the boy who rang the bell receives a bottle of coke conjured into his hands and waves at an image of Santa on the back of the departing truck, who salutes him with a bottle of coke, which he the drinks.

This advert speaks to the widely treasured images of Christmas, to middle American values and ideology, with a strong emphasis on family and children. The long string of trucks confirms that Coca Cola can 'deliver' to everyone wherever and whoever they are. The words of the jingle talk of loving, sharing, emotion, and the implied hope of families getting together at the festive season. There is also a feeling of nostalgia and a product that has been around for a long time. This means it is in the consciousness of all generations. Coke's functional characteristic is of course that it quenches your thirst

A bottle of coke is just a tasty soft drink that quenches your thirst, but because it is affordable by everyone, so well known and widely enjoyed, it is elevated to another level and becomes - 'The real thing'.

Happy Christmas!

Jill Glazier