Coke spot, concept

The writers are striking, and that means Hollywood may shut down for a long, long time. BUT there's always money in advertising. I had shot 2 specs back in 2000 but 9/11 hit and the advert money dried up.





Unfortunately the ad agencies and commercial production houses (the guys that sign young directors) need at least 3 specs to guage ones talents.

I was lucky enough to find an investor who is going to let me shoot a spot for Coke and one for Old Navy.

I dig old pin-up art. In particular this one artist named Gil Elvgren. He's the Norman Rockwell of pin-up. He could capture a pose better than most animators. And I've always loved the ads of Coke girls at places like Johnnie Rockets (LA burger joint). So the concept is that a girl in one of the paintings comes to life.

That's the concept.

But where do you take it from there? How do you take a one note idea and flesh it out so it resonates and pulls people in?

First thing I did was pitch that basic idea to people. And everytime I did people would nod back 'yeah, I totally know those Coke girls.' That is called emotional real estate. The hardest part of any story is getting the audience to connect. If you can hook them immediately, and you do this by making things specific and identifiable, then you've grasped them. But holding them is where it gets tricky.

What sells products? Story telling is one thing, and advertising is another. Combining both seamlessly is the true challenge. No matter what story I'm going to tell its going to be a huge time commitment. So why not make it the best you can make it? Make it A+. I'd rather not do something than half ass it.

Coke

What is the branding of Coke? Its American. Its nostaligic. Its magical. Its a company like Disney...they've been around forever and are iconic. Coke is a loved product and that means that the spot needs to be true to those qualities.

And who buys Coke? Who buys most of anything?

Moms.

Women shop, in general. They're the ones that pick which stories and products get viewed by their children. So it is really important that the spot speaks to Mom's...makes them feel warm and fuzzy.

Yes, storytelling is a magic trick.

Its a manipulation. Humans love to be manipulated. A joke is a manipulation. We set an expectation then twist it. That's where the laugh comes from. An action scene is a manipulation. We know it the hero isn't really going to get hurt becuase nothing in the movie is real. But if the magic trick is pulled off, then we believe the world and characters are real and we buy it. This spot needs to weave a web where we feel good about the Coke. Mind you, Coke is liquidfide sugar. So what is the benefit to it? Why would a mom buy it? Because it has nostalgic qualities we associate with it.

We've laid the objective. To make Coke benefit the viewer. Knowing that, we can start to find the story...