Coca-Cola, “It’s Mine”
Normally, a fight on New York City’s streets isn’t this funny—let alone heartwarming. But the theme is just one of the chances taken by Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore., in creating Coke’s 2008 Super Bowl ad, “It’s Mine.” The spot united the vertical majesty of the New York City skyline with an improbable cast of characters—the building-sized balloons of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Tearing themselves from their restraining ropes, Underdog and Stewie (the sardonic infant from Family Guy) duke it out over a bottle of Coke, which rises ever higher and always outside of swiping range. The highaltitude tussle—dramatically shot from inside the windows of nearby buildings—ends unexpectedly. Rising from the treetops of Central Park comes none other than Charlie Brown, who wins for a change. At a time when both Coke and the country needed a comeback (this was the tumultuous period leading up to Obama’s election, remember), Coke not only provided inspiration without being syrupy, but it also spoke wordlessly to the pop-cultural moment by fusing both old and new cartoon characters—and somehow avoiding what could have been a cross-branding nightmare—to tell a universal story of persistence. The most talked about ad online two weeks after the game, “It’s Mine” also marked the ascendancy of Coke. After years of advertising misdirection, it now claims a solid 51 percent of global carbonated drink sales. —Barbara Lippert
