Coke's 'The great meal' is pretty great

On paper, this new global TVC from Anomaly for Coca-Cola sounds kind of obvious and potentially dull: People in households around the world prepare and enjoy meals together.

Wow, stunning, right? Well, actually, on film, it kind of is. Ad Nut is sure you'll find it moving, which is a testimony to the ability of advertising craft to elevate a simple idea, as well as to the power of diversity. 

The spot is called 'The great meal' and it's part of a new global platform called 'Together tastes better'. It shows people in 13 real households in eight different cities, including Shanghai and Mumbai, enjoying the company of loved ones while cooking and eating treasured dishes. The voiceover (by actress Soleil Patterson) talks about how lockdown has reminded us to "savour the moments that were always there".

The documentary style and the diversity on display work wonders. The work succeeds in looking authentic—rather than presenting an overly polished, shiny-happy vision. And as we peek inside real kitchens (including some almost as tiny as Ad Nut's) we see a rainbow of skin tones, and common humanity comes to the fore. Ad Nut will take this realistic kind of presentation over the artifice of 'I'd like to teach the world to sing' any day. 

The work debuted June 29 in the US and will run in many markets worldwide, including 'most Asian countries and India", according to the brand.

The 'Together tastes better' platform has been in the works for some time, and it's fortuitous for Coke that it rings even more true now than it did a few months ago. Ad Nut looks forward to seeing more.

CREDITS

The Coca-Cola Company
Group Director Social Center & Prod.IMC: Sarah Traverso
Integrated Marketing Comms Director: Guillermo Gimenez-Brotons
Coke IMC Director: Russ Mischner
VP Coke Trademark: Jaideep Kibe
Coke Brand Director: Erica Tuggle
IMC, Sr Producer: Rebecca Smith
IMC, Sr Producer: Jennifer Kramer

Agency: Anomaly
Group Creative Directors: Carlos Alija, Laura Sampedro
Creative Director: Dan Shapiro
Associate Creative Director: Harry Neville-Towle
Executive Producer: Jenn Pennington
Account Director: Alyssa Tacopino
Business Affairs Manager: Bianca Lauria

Production: SOMESUCH
Director: Kim Gehrig
Executive Producer: Nicky Barnes
Head of Production: Michelle Stark
Producer: Lee Groombridge
Production Supervisor: Luke Thornton
Director's Assistant: Steve Shaw
Global DOP: James Laxton
Global Food Stylist: Katie Giovani

Production Partners:
Kiev, Ukraine: Radioactive Film
Lisbon, Portugal: TwentyFourSeven Productions
London, England: Somesuch/Unit 2 Royale Studios
Mexico City, Mexico: The Lift
Orlando, Florida: Somesuch
Shanghai, China: P.I.G China

Music supervision/Sound Design: SOUNDTREE
Managing Director/Music Supervisor: Jay James
Founder/Composer: Peter Raeburn
Head of Music/Composer: Luis Almau
Composer/Music Producer: Luke Fabia
Senior Producer: Neil Athale
Sound Designer: Henning Knoepfel
Sound Designer’s Assistant/Transfer: Graham Norman

Music Track: “ Sabali” by Amadou & Mariam

Edit: Trim Editing / Cosmo Street Editorial
Editor: Tom Lindsay
Assistant Editors: Alexander Evan Morales, Dave Davies, Joshua Mannox
Head of Production: Anne Lai

Color: 3 NYC
Colorist: Tom Poole
Producer: Alexandra Lubrano

Finishing: Rock Paper Scissors- NYC
Senior Flame Artist : Edward Reina
Assistant Flame Artist: Austin Hazzis
VFX Producer : Barbara Kontarovich

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.