New York - Soft drinks maker Coca-Cola Co
has launched a gay-friendly ad featuring a brother and
sister vying for the attention of a handsome pool boy in the
campaign that has won praise for diversity and inclusion.
"Sibling rivalry never looked more inclusive," Out Magazine
said of the commercial that debuted last week. Marketing Week
also approved.
While gay-themed movies and television shows are
commonplace, advertising has been slower to embrace same-sex
couples, especially among marquee brands.
The ad, part of the company's global "Taste the Feeling"
campaign, features a teenage girl ogling the pool boy from a
downstairs window while her brother does the same from upstairs.
The duo race to the refrigerator and try to trip each other
in a bid to be the first to give the open-shirted worker an
ice-cold Coke as the Italian song "Come Prima" plays in the
background.
Despite the siblings' efforts, by the time they reached the
pool guy their mother had already given him a Coke.
undefinedThe ad has no dialogue and is one of four in the company's
new global campaign.
"It's a human story where Coca-Cola plays a key role in the
development of the drama," said Ali Brubaker, senior manager of
global brand PR for the company.
"We are managing culturally relevant messages organically
within our spots not as the main subject of the story but as
sub-text."