Coca-Cola's new 'literary' ad is an instant classic

Not many brands can claim to have serious cultural clout, and even fewer have a history of cropping up in literary classics. So Coca-Cola's latest campaign can't help but bring to mind the phrase, 'if you've got it, flaunt it'.

The brand's ingenious new 'Classics' ad sees the brand highlighting instances of its name appearing in classic books, by replacing the words 'Coke' or 'Coca-Cola' with the logo itself. Couple the famous texts with one of the best logos of all time, and this is looking like one of the most iconic campaigns we've seen for a while.

The ad comes courtesy of WPP Open X and VML New York, who used AI to scan the books of hundreds of authors seeking reference to everyone's favourite carbonated beverage.

Visually, it's a pretty simple campaign featuring typewritten extracts from classic novels and, occasionally, the famous bright red Coca-Cola wordmark. And so it should be – since so few brands could legitimately pull this one off, it makes sense for the execution to be as clean and clear as possible.

Coca-Cola "Classic" by WPP Open X - YouTube

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“Coca-Cola’s presence in classic literature is a testament to its enduring cultural impact. This campaign is the embodiment of our Real Magic ethos, celebrating those magical moments in fiction where Coca-Cola is a familiar presence in timeless stories," Islam EIDessouky, global vice president creative strategy and content at Coca-Cola, said in a press release.

While there seems to be a trend of brands doing away with their logo in ads right now, from McDonald's to Kellogg's, it almost feels refreshing to see another brand deploying theirs so iconically. Indeed, this seems like a campaign that even a Serious Literary Author would approve of.