A particularly edgy and difficult episode of The Bear – one of the big TV hits of 2023 – is replicated in more sanitary form for a new Coca-Cola commercial that features multiple brands including Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite and Fanta.
The Bear’s creator and showrunner Christopher Storer worked with Coca-Cola on the ad, and together with WPP’s dedicated Coke agency Open X they have created a similar energy and chaos to the original, without the violent undertones. The “Fishes” TV episode told the story of an intense and upsetting family Christmas, while Coca-Cola’s ad shows a girl introducing her boyfriend to her extended family for the first time.
The big family cast of “The New Guy” makes sense of a portfolio approach to advertising; the result is a spot that bears multiple views and wears its “homage” badge lightly but effectively.
MAA creative scale: 8
