GTA Coke (the drink) ad in Super Bowl
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Feb 4th 2007 at 1:00PM }
Don't be surprised when you're treated to the Grand Theft Auto inspired Coca-Cola ad today during the Super Bowl. According to CNN/Money, Coke is returning to the Super Bowl after being on break since 1998. Apparently Coca-Cola believes they found a culturally relevant way to promote to the demographic. Susan McDermott, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola North America, said, "We wanted to kick things off big in 2007. We've been a partner with 'American Idol' since the beginning so the strategy was to debut new ads on the Super Bowl and 'Idol' in order to hit the biggest entertainment and sports programming within two weeks." She also notes that this "old" GTA coke ad (found after the break) now has a chance to reach a much larger audience. And they better get some bang for their buck, the price for a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl is $2.6 million -- the commercial, in its original format, runs a full minute.
[Via GamePolitics]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Shmil @ Feb 4th 2007 1:07PM
dear god this ad sucks, i work at a regal cinema's movie theater and this ad runs about every six minutes, it was clever at first but now just the sounds of it make me want to hurl
Vladimir Cole @ Feb 4th 2007 1:17PM
I love this ad. Disagree 100% with Shmil.
Coop @ Feb 4th 2007 1:18PM
I actually enjoy this advertisement, it is better than a lot of the ambiguous ads that companies are making.
Ted D. Moncrief @ Feb 4th 2007 1:21PM
Shmil is mindless. You can't say the ad sucks just because you've seen it too many times. I love this ad.
Denbowski @ Feb 4th 2007 1:27PM
I'm never drinking Coke again.
Shmil @ Feb 4th 2007 1:27PM
actually you can say something sucks when you've seen it more than 50 times everytime you go to work. There are just somethings (like family guy) that get worse and worse the more times you watch them, and i'm not willingly watching this ad because i used to enjoy it, but when the ad has been running since late last summer you'll learn to dislike it more and more
DirtDevil @ Feb 4th 2007 1:33PM
Pretty funny ad, can we say now that GTA really has infiltrated the minds and culture of this generation?
harvsorrow @ Feb 4th 2007 1:33PM
I concur, it's a good ad. If you deny you get warm fuzzies from this commercial, you're lying! ;)
Spastic @ Feb 4th 2007 1:35PM
Actually, I agree with Shmil that this ad sucks, and I felt that way the first time I saw it. It's got the typical Coke "We are the World" style crappy song, and it doesn't really succeed in its theme of being the anti-GTA. So the main character rips a dude out of his car and...offers him a Coke. It wouldn't really brighten my day if someone did that to me. Then, he grabs some dirty bum and throws him into a car of hot chicks. I'm sure they ladies really loved that... I'm sure I'm over analyzing the ad, but the point is that it rubbed me the wrong way, and seemed lame, like all Coke ads. Maybe I'm lowbrow, but I think the Budweiser ads are usually the best around.
Shmil @ Feb 4th 2007 1:41PM
i wish my city would spontaneously burst into song
Whitster @ Feb 4th 2007 1:43PM
It's the first time i've seen that ad and in my opinion it's painfully poor. I'm not quite sure what it is. Maybe the music. Maybe the style. Maybe the jumping on the GTA bandwagon. I just dont like it.
ss @ Feb 4th 2007 1:59PM
Really nice ad.
ss @ Feb 4th 2007 2:01PM
No, really.
nick @ Feb 4th 2007 2:02PM
I goto the movies a lot at Century Cinemas (now Cinemark), and they play the GTA-themed Coke ad before every movie. While it was clever the first time I saw it last year, it's now becoming old-- having seen it week after week after week.
Would have much rather they play an original commercial than recycle that one.
Guess this'll be the one ad I don't watch.
eviil @ Feb 4th 2007 2:10PM
its better than 99% of the commercials out there.
Mitsuo @ Feb 4th 2007 2:18PM
The point of this commercial? GTA would be a much better wold if only Coke was involved. Well....it already is, but I mean the drink!
Brian @ Feb 4th 2007 2:22PM
It's quite an achievment to make a commercial that makes me embarassed to like two of my favorite things: Coke and GTA.
Sigh...
Honestly, if this commercial made you feel tingly inside then you need to get out more or read a novel or see a real movie.
I felt like I was watching a pitch for a game made by Jack Thompson.
"And instead of killing people, he gives them a Coke...you earn love instead of money in the game!"
jonny quest @ Feb 4th 2007 2:35PM
I actually dig the music. It's a rework of the end song in the classic (imho) movie Bugsy Malone. That was the 1920's musical gangster movie that had Scott Baio and Jodie Foster in it.
I need to track that down.
bertie242 @ Feb 4th 2007 2:38PM
#9:
You're wrong. The ad was supposed to show that Coca-Cola could transform even the toughest of thugs into a good member of society, even if he does do it in his own way.
Also, the guy who got pulled out of his car and the girls who got the hobo tossed in with them all looked pretty happy to me, though that could be a trick of the light.
Capt. Castellanos @ Feb 4th 2007 3:04PM
#10
"i wish my city would spontaneously burst into song"
hahahahahaha
that'd either kick ass or totally suck.
...depends on which song...
Hellsing @ Feb 4th 2007 3:34PM
Anyone else think Rockstar should make a game like that. They could call it Random Acts of Kindness. I'd play it.
mushiking @ Feb 4th 2007 3:46PM
this commercial has already been on tv for awhile, i saw it like a week ago.
haywood jablomey @ Feb 4th 2007 4:10PM
Coke infiltrates bodily fluids and corrodes stomach linings, upsets the alkaline-acid balance of the kidneys, and eats away at your liver.
That's why I drink Pepsi.
Takkun24 @ Feb 4th 2007 4:12PM
If only GTA had visuals like that.
Evan @ Feb 4th 2007 4:36PM
As a tv ad, it sucks.
However, the ad would be interesting as a hidden playable mode in an actual GTA game.
rhork. @ Feb 5th 2007 1:14AM
love the ad, but hate coke.
bajesus- they have a monopolizing contract with the university of minnesota. coke-only franchises allowed on campus. not to mention- a 12pack of mt dew on campus is FIVE DOLLARS.
meh. coke. boo you whore.
i just want my dew.
muppetmeth @ Feb 4th 2007 4:58PM
I like it. It beats Pepsi's retarded Jazz advertisements, which makes me want to put my face under a lawn mower and pull the cord until it starts.
Rubang B @ Feb 4th 2007 5:15PM
If you want to see a great scene in which a town randomly bursts into song, see Shaolin Soccer.
Rhys @ Feb 4th 2007 5:24PM
I loved this ad.
I'd play it if it was real.... that's your que modders!
Bennyishere @ Feb 4th 2007 6:14PM
Awesome ad :)
Not surprising that he gets high of Coke... :P
Jay @ Feb 4th 2007 7:17PM
and there it is
nintendo_fanboy @ Feb 4th 2007 7:20PM
IT MADE IT!!!!!
1st post since the ad played!
Jaybo @ Feb 4th 2007 7:27PM
This ad has been around quite awhile - it is NOT new for the Superbowl. There are links on Youtube from AUGUST. Way to go Joystiq.
S @ Feb 4th 2007 7:40PM
Jaybo sucks ass for not reading the fucking article.
Hello @ Feb 4th 2007 7:40PM
posting after two idiots
Shibathedog @ Feb 4th 2007 9:44PM
This ad is really annoying, and at least a year old if not 2 or 3, i see in in theaters before movies every once in awhile too. Its so old and im sick of it, Why are they bothering?
animejoe @ Feb 4th 2007 9:06PM
The sentiment is nice, but... barf.
Peff @ Feb 4th 2007 9:11PM
very creative. i liked it.
Jaybo @ Feb 4th 2007 9:52PM
I'm not the only one, S. Read the posts before mine. Nevermind, you can go back to your swearing like a 15 yr old on Xbox Live.
Justin @ Feb 4th 2007 10:36PM
This ad isn't that new. I've saw it at the movie theater weeks ago.
Christian @ Feb 4th 2007 11:18PM
I saw this ad at the movie theaters too! Not new but still not bad of an ad. Nothing new other than it made you think it was a game at first with ads taking over til you find out it is an ad with game theme on it.
Fatass of Kickassness @ Feb 5th 2007 12:22AM
Jaybo, you're still a fucking dumbass. They never said it was new: they were saying its making its TV debut today (before that, it was in the movies, and quite a few retards have stated so not realizing that Joystiq never said the ad was new). Try reading the whole damn thing next time.
cppcrusader @ Feb 5th 2007 12:58AM
I guess the Coke ad execs are working from a different definition of debut, because this has been playing on tv for at least a month.
Amos @ Feb 5th 2007 3:31AM
I thought it was great, and so did everyone I watched it with. Damn there are some jaded nerds around here.
As for the Coke monopoly of U of M, so? Pepsi has the same thing at my Uni. It's because the two corportation each own half the fricking world (of beverages). Deal with it.
Tom @ Feb 5th 2007 4:00AM
I hope GTA 4 will look like that. Minus the happy feelings, singing, and coke, of course.
Brian @ Feb 5th 2007 7:55AM
I think the people who must like this ad are the people who think the endings of both Shrek movies are awesome when Donkey sings. Perhaps the singing rats at the end are bringing back some kind of nostalgia for you.
Flynn @ Feb 5th 2007 10:04AM
PERSONALLY I do not like this ad...but I don't like 50% of all ads on TV (the other 45% I just don't notice. The last 5% amuse me.)...but this ad does what it intends and catches my attention whether I want it to or not.
As an ad though, it is a good idea...promoting kindness and love and all that...sadly that will be lost on the majority of the demographic its intended for who will just think it's "kiddy and lame."
majortom @ Feb 5th 2007 11:30AM
The bad part is this commercial wasnt new. I have seen it 2 weeks before the super bowl at least.
Joey Geraci @ Feb 5th 2007 2:30PM
This ad was a really good ad when it first starting showing, but I don't know why these guys don't know that you can completely ruin the effectiveness of an ad by running it too many times. It is a shame.
I can't believe they showed that many years old ad of the coke bottle going through coke land on its way through the machine. Again, another ad that was fairly clever the first time it aired, but is just stale and boring now.