Christian Educators' Journal :: “Josep’s Opus,” or “Coke’s mini-movie”

Vol 8, Num 7 :: 2009.03.27 — 2009.04.10

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“Josep’s Opus,” or “Coke’s mini-movie”

Story-based TV commercials are like mini-movies. They have characters, settings, problems and solutions, and even though they’re usually shorter than a minute, I tend to want popcorn just in time for them to end.

“Encounter,” a Coca-Cola spot by McCann Erickson of Madrid, is no different. It has characters: a 102-year-old man and a new-born; settings: Mallorca and Madrid, Spain; problems: the world is in crisis and this is no time to be born; and solutions: the problems will make you stronger…and Coke will make you happy.

Hey, I’m just telling you what they told me. They said Coke will make me happy. They’ve been associating Coke with happiness for years so they must know what they’re talking about.

But I don’t feel happy when this mini-movie is muted. Which means there’s a third character: music. Music, I think, is the main character here. I say that because watching this commercial muted does nothing for me; watching it with sound, however, does for me what the Edge does for Bono.

At 00:00:10, a simple, quiet, single-finger piano melody begins. A drum brush – nearly inaudible – comes too, setting a slow tempo in the background. At 00:00:13, the cello joins with long, gradually rising notes until 00:00:32 when the piano’s high notes enter a marching trot. They press on, keeping speed but feeling faster all the time. Josep is going somewhere and so is the music. At 00:00:44, just as the baby enters the world, the cello reaches higher and now sings in unison with a trumpet while the piano gains force with heavier chords combining high and medium octaves. As Josep approaches the delivery room, the cello and trumpet duo fluctuates tensely between two unresolved notes, taking you expectantly, anxiously to the crib. The meddlesome duo holds you there from 00:00:50 all the way to 00:01:03, when the last four-count measure stretches six full beats and the intermittent roll on a snare drum finally introduce you to the baby. The very next second, at 00:01:04, a high-reaching pitch of the violin and driving snare say, “Herald the child!” Immediately on their heals at 00:01:05, the trumpet pierces the upper reaches of the scale, drowning out the milder cello and riding celestially on the endless piano melody and march, march, march of the snare. It pierces four complete measures – ten whole seconds of the commercial – sustaining the critical power of connection between the man and the child and holding your attention captive. They have met, and now, finally, the trumpet explodes festively at 00:01:15, dancing about in celebration. When you think no more can be added, the adrenaline-laced progress of music welcomes a human applause from Josep’s embracing party companions and at 00:01:27, a shout – Josep’s 102-year-old gusto – rings out.

And the Coke bottle floods the screen.

That’s it. The third character of the mini-movie is music. And its role exists only to tell me that Coke makes people happy.

I want a refund.

View “Encounter” here:

your comments

arcarpenter
Mar 27 2009
10:49 PM

And yet, even if they think they’re just selling Coke, to tap into the symbol of the new child, to use the music to connote the hope and even royalty of that symbol — does that still touch on something very human? Does it completely negate the story and moment they’ve put together because they are also selling something? Or does it work on two levels: one where we can enjoy being human and being moved by this old-yet-always-new story, and one where we can discern that Coke will probably not make us happy?

I don’t know the answers. I still ask the questions after years of being told how lousy commercials are and after years of still enjoying some of those said commercials.

SamVanEman
Mar 31 2009
09:30 AM

Thanks for the good question, arcarpenter. I linked to this article from my blog today and encouraged readers to consider your reflection.

There is something quite human in the commercial, and folks on the web have said it made them tear up. Certainly, Coke doesn’t have the power to create tears (unless it goes down the wrong pipe!), but human interaction, longevity, resilience, meaning, birth and death all do.

My beef comes with Coke self-injecting value by associating with these powerful elements of life. The association makes Coke into something that carbonation and sugar just can’t be.

mgoodyear
Apr 01 2009
10:21 AM

Maybe I’m just a visual/text guy, but I was moved by the muted commercial too.

Don’t get me wrong, the music and Joseph’s barbaric yawp add tremendous joy to the commercial.

I found myself wondering if this is really a commercial in the traditional sense, though. It’s almost like a PSA sponsored by Coke. You know?

I can argue that we’re here for more than just “to be happy” but frankly I’ll take that message over the sex messages any day.

SamVanEman
Apr 02 2009
02:29 PM

Good comments, Marcus.

The thing I have to remember is that Coke sits at center stage, and everything else plays a supporting role. Even the Public Service Announcement feel, like the music, helps point the spotlight on the soft drink.

mgoodyear
Apr 02 2009
02:37 PM

That’s so funny, Sam. I saw it just the other way. Life happens, and Coke is often part of life. The machine in the background. The people toasting with Coke. Etc.

It isn’t omnipresent. They aren’t bottle-feeding Coke to newborns. But it is part of life, and it brings sweetness to people.

I see your point, though. Advertising and marketing is a tricky tricky thing.

mcorbett
Apr 05 2009
01:38 AM

I was so bored without the music that I didn’t finish watching it. And I was annoyed that Coke was manipulating me by trying to tap into my fear and hope about the economy and the world today. Seems like a cheap trick. If it was actually a PSA, I would have liked it.

I’m working on a branding intitiative where I work and I suppose if Coke truly believes that at its core, they exist to make people happy, then I might give then some credit.

Because I have nothing else to do on a Saturday night, I just went and looked at Coke’s mission:

-To refresh the world…
-To inspire moments of optimism and happiness…
-To create value and make a difference.

Ok. I guess I’ll give them a break (even though I grew up with Pepsi).

SamVanEman
Apr 06 2009
05:27 PM

Thanks for doing a bit of “research” Michele. :)

Like you, I found the muted version unmoving. Marcus said it did something for him, which I don’t doubt since he’s a poet.

Don’t poets have to hear with their eyes?

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“Josep’s Opus,” or “Coke’s mini-movie”

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