Coca Cola is running a new ad campaign for Diet Coke with the slogan “You’re On.” The new campaign aims to frame Diet Coke as an energy-helper for those on the go, and features Taylor Swift as the spokeswoman. In the ad, you can see several people using Diet Coke for a confidence boost, where they are ready to take on the world after a sip of the drink:
However, the slogan is much more understandable in the commercial than outdoor ads, as many people have wondered if they misread Diet Coke’s message. They think it reads “You’re on Coke.”
.@DietCoke ‘s “you’re on coke” campaign: oversight or misplaced attempt at winking innuendo? Want to know back story pic.twitter.com/gOd70PcIii
— Dave Bates (@DCBComms) February 28, 2014
The outdoor ads have been shown in New York City and San Francisco so far, with body copy that focuses the career aspirations that brings people to the two cities. The whole campaign makes sense and would be aspirational, but it looks like many are getting lost in the unfortunate slogan placement.
This is real. Coca Cola’s new slogan really seems to be “You’re On Coke.” pic.twitter.com/3sTHTFPmXO
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) March 1, 2014
With the slogan placement, it is hard to not rewatch the commercial and reevaluate the motivation for each character, including Swift. A substance that enables you to take on the world and become more confident/energetic? The similarities are almost too real.
Now that there are plenty of mentions of the slogan mixup, there seems to be a great opportunity for Coca Cola to respond on Twitter and make their intentions clear. The brand could possibly throw a few jokes in and even address how some feel like Diet Coke is a bit of a drug. Do you think the situation warrants a brand response? Why or why not?
