I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke Day

Screengrab from the Coca-Cola “Hilltop” ad

The 8th of July is “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke Day”, celebrating the birthday of the famous “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke” TV commercial.

It first aired on national TV in the United States on the 8th of July 1971, and is still one of the most popular commercials of all time.

It was the first ever television advertisement shot in high definition, and, it was in colour, to boot, which was critical to ensuring that viewers noticed the multi-cultural make-up of the Coca-Cola® market.

The ad was also groundbreaking in that it didn’t focus on the product. Instead, it focussed on universal values, and invited the viewer to associate the product with those values. And, it landed at a critical cultural moment:

“It was the flower power era, and most of America was tiring of the Vietnam War. The lyrics, although not overtly anti-war, delivered a message of peace and camaraderie.” ^[1] Andrews, Travis M. ‘I’d like to buy the world a Coke’: The story behind the world’s most famous ad, in memoriam its creator. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post. 17 May 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/17/id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-the-story-behind-the-worlds-most-famous-ad-whose-creator-has-died-at-89/

The commercial was donated to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. in 2000.

The song was used in the 2015 finale of the TV series, Mad Men.

A Christmas version was made in the mid 1970s.

#BuyTheWorldACoke #IdLikeToBuyTheWorldACoke

See also: Coca-Cola, Soft drinks, Have a Coke Day

The lyrics

I’d like to buy the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
That’s the real thing
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
And I’d like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company…

History of “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke”

In 1969, Coke’s “Things Go Better With Coke” campaign had ended, and a new campaign focussed on “It’s the Real Thing” had started. ^[2]Coca-Cola – I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke (the story of Hilltop). Blog entry. 15 December 2011. Accessed June 2021 at https://thisisnotadvertising.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/coca-cola-id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-the-story-of-hilltop/

Bill Backer (William Montague Backer, 9 June 1926 – 13 May 2016) of the McCann Erickson advertising agency came up with the idea for the song. At the time, he was the creative director for the Coca-Cola advertising account. He was flying from the United States to London, but the plane was forced to land in Shannon, Ireland, owing to weather affecting the airport in London. At the Shannon airport, he noticed passengers bonding over bottles of Coke.

He later said:

“In that moment [I] saw a bottle of Coke in a whole new light … [I] began to see a bottle of Coca-Cola as more than a drink that refreshed a hundred million people a day in almost every corner of the globe. So [I] began to see the familiar words, ‘Let’s have a Coke,’ as more than an invitation to pause for refreshment. They were actually a subtle way of saying, ‘Let’s keep each other company for a little while.’ And [I] knew they were being said all over the world as [I] sat there in Ireland. So that was the basic idea: to see Coke not as it was originally designed to be — a liquid refresher — but as a tiny bit of commonality between all peoples, a universally liked formula that would help to keep them company for a few minutes.” ^[3]Andrews, Travis M. ‘I’d like to buy the world a Coke’: The story behind the world’s most famous ad, in memoriam its creator. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post. 17 May 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/17/id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-the-story-behind-the-worlds-most-famous-ad-whose-creator-has-died-at-89/

One line of the song came to him right then and there:

“Right there, I wrote it on an envelope . . .’I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company.’ ” ^[4] Weil, Martin. Man who created ‘I’d like to buy the world a Coke’ jingle dies at 89. Chicago, Illinois: The Chicago Tribune. 17 May 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-wiliam-backer-id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-jingle-dead-20160517-story.html

Once in London, the complete song was pulled together by himself along with Billy Davis, Roger Cook, and Roger Greenaway. Billy Davis had been a member of the Four Tops; Roger Cook had co-written songs such as “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress).” They completed the song there in London in less than 24 hours.

Davis added the mention of “home” in the lyrics. Cook and Greenaway based the melody on a song they had written previously, “True Love and Apple Pie“, which was sung by Susan Shirley.

At first, “I’d Like To Buy” was only intended for radio. It was recorded by the New Seekers in London, then shipped over to the United States:

“The jingle was recorded by the New Seekers and shipped to American radio stations in February 1971…” ^[5]Hartman, Margaret. The Coke Ad in Mad Men: What You Need to Know to Understand the Finale. Vulture Magazine. 18 May 2015. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.vulture.com/2015/05/coke-ad-mad-men-finale-history.html

The radio version first aired in the U.S. on 12 February 1971.

The reaction to the song from various Coca-Cola bottlers who had to pay for its running was somewhat lukewarm, but, many radio DJs began reporting that listeners were actually phoning in to request it be played, as they would normal songs. ^[6]Weil, Martin. Man who created ‘I’d like to buy the world a Coke’ jingle dies at 89. Chicago, Illinois: The Chicago Tribune. 17 May 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-wiliam-backer-id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-jingle-dead-20160517-story.html

Backer was convinced that if they could do visuals to go along with the song for a TV ad, they would have a real winner. He managed to get backing for a budget for shooting a visual commercial for television.

“Given its popularity, the company decided to film a commercial using the jingle, hiring five hundred people from Rome to stand on the hilltop in Manziana and lip-sync the lyrics.” ^[7]Andrews, Travis M. ‘I’d like to buy the world a Coke’: The story behind the world’s most famous ad, in memoriam its creator. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post. 17 May 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/17/id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-the-story-behind-the-worlds-most-famous-ad-whose-creator-has-died-at-89/

The advertising agency tried a version with a large number of school children in England, and then later in Italy, but for the final version, they whittled it down to five hundred youths, from different parts of the world and dressed in different clothing styles to reflect the global appeal of Coke. Close-ups of the ensemble scene were filmed in a stadium; macro shots were filmed from a helicopter on a hill north-west of Rome in Manziana.

The lead woman at the start was Linda Higson (later, Neary), a British governess living in Rome. The McCann crew spotted her “walking down the street pushing a baby carriage, [and] decided she looked perfect for the part of the female lead. Two days before shooting was scheduled to begin, Neary agreed to take the part and the cast was set.” ^[8]Coca-Cola – I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke (the story of Hilltop). Blog entry. 15 December 2011. Accessed June 2021 at https://thisisnotadvertising.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/coca-cola-id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-the-story-of-hilltop/

To get the day off work, she had to lie, and her employer was furious afterward. “She was a very strict lady, and terribly glamorous. She wasn’t happy when she found out that I was being paid for something else, while I was employed by her.” ^[9]Hepburn, Matthew. Hilltop’ Reunion: Stars From Coke’s 1971 Ad Interviewed Together for First Time. Coca Cola New Zealand. 13 July 2015. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.coca-colajourney.co.nz/stories/hilltop-reunion-stars-from-cokes-1971-ad-interviewed-together-for-first-time

They didn’t actually sing, they were just mouthing the words:

“We had to learn the song in the morning and then shoot it in the afternoon. I can’t sing, so that bit’s dubbed. You wouldn’t want to hear me.'” ^[10]Hepburn, Matthew. Hilltop’ Reunion: Stars From Coke’s 1971 Ad Interviewed Together for First Time. Coca Cola New Zealand. 13 July 2015. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.coca-colajourney.co.nz/stories/hilltop-reunion-stars-from-cokes-1971-ad-interviewed-together-for-first-time

The television commercial aired in the United States on the 8th of July, 1971. It was an instant mass hit, and became a cultural icon almost overnight. People began phoning their local television stations, asking when the advertisement would next be played, so they could plan their TV viewing schedule around that. By November of 1971, over 100,000 people had written to the Coca-Cola company thanking them for the ad. ^[11]”According to Coca-Cola, the company and its bottlers received more than 100,000 letters about it.” Andrews, Travis M. ‘I’d like to buy the world a Coke’: The story behind the world’s most famous ad, in memoriam its creator. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post. 17 May 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/17/id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-the-story-behind-the-worlds-most-famous-ad-whose-creator-has-died-at-89/

The song and commercial became so popular that Backer wrote a longer version of the song, casting it without references to Coke as “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony)“. The New Seekers weren’t available just then, so it was recorded by a group of studio singers brought together for the purpose, who dubbed called themselves “The Hillside Singers” in reference to the hillside in the commercial. It reached No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. “The New Seekers” then released a version, which reached No. 1 in the UK and later climbed to the top of the U.S. charts as well. At one point, both versions were close to the top of the charts in the United States.

Many people in the advertising world now regard the commercial as still the most famous, and popular, commercial of all time.

The final episode of Mad Men

Interview with Bill Backer

Sources

Andrews, Travis M. ‘I’d like to buy the world a Coke’: The story behind the world’s most famous ad, in memoriam its creator. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post. 17 May 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/17/id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-the-story-behind-the-worlds-most-famous-ad-whose-creator-has-died-at-89/

Chang, Jeff. What Coke Taught the World. Slate Magazine. 18 May 2015. Accessed June 2021 at https://slate.com/culture/2015/05/coca-colas-its-the-real-thing-ad-how-the-mccann-erickson-ad-changed-american-advertising-and-america.html

Coca-Cola – I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke (the story of Hilltop). Blog entry. 15 December 2011. Accessed June 2021 at https://thisisnotadvertising.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/coca-cola-id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-the-story-of-hilltop/

Dumenco, Simon. Coca-Cola: Hilltop. New York: Ad Age Magazine. 16 January 1972. Accessed June 2021 at https://adage.com/videos/cocacola-hilltop/395

Hartman, Margaret. The Coke Ad in Mad Men: What You Need to Know to Understand the Finale. Vulture Magazine. 18 May 2015. Accessed June 2021 at
https://www.vulture.com/2015/05/coke-ad-mad-men-finale-history.html

Nilsson, Olivia. “I’d like to buy the world a Coke”. University of North Carolina Wilmington: Marketing communications student blog. 18 September 2017. Accessed June 2021 at https://imcclass.com/2017/09/18/id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke/

Renesi, Marianna. Coca-Cola, 1971 — “I’d like to buy the world a Coke”. Medium. 22 April 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://medium.com/ad-discovery-and-creativity-lab/coca-cola-1971-id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-d570ddb85477

Weil, Martin. Man who created ‘I’d like to buy the world a Coke’ jingle dies at 89. Chicago, Illinois: The Chicago Tribune. 17 May 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-wiliam-backer-id-like-to-buy-the-world-a-coke-jingle-dead-20160517-story.html