The ''Diet Coke Break''
advertising campaign
An advertising campaign or marketing campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). An IMC is a platform in which a group of people can group their ide ...
is a series of six
television advertisement
A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
s that ran from 1994 to 2013, used to promote the soft drink
Diet Coke
Diet Coke (also branded as Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Diet or Coca-Cola Light Taste) is a sugar-free and low-calorie soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. It contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Unveiled on ...
. Each advert centers around a group of women ogling an attractive man while he works, soundtracked to a version of "
I Just Want to Make Love to You
"I Just Want to Make Love to You" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon. In 1954, it was recorded by Muddy Waters, and released as a single with the title "Just Make Love to Me". The song reached number four on '' Billboard'' magazine's R&B B ...
". The first commercial premiered on US television in 1994, and starred American actor
Lucky Vanous
Lucky Joseph Vanous (born April 11, 1961) is an American model and actor. He became nationally known in 1994 after appearing in a series of commercials for Diet Coke.Karen S. Peterson (October 27, 1994). Women refine a taste for beefcake. ''USA ...
as a handsome construction worker who removes his shirt while taking his "Diet Coke break". The advert was a huge success, catching
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. It manufactures, sells and markets soft drinks including Coca-Cola, other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Its stock is lis ...
by surprise. Although initially no sequel was planned, Vanous was recast in a follow-up advert, released the next year.
Two further adverts premiered in 1997: the first, ''11.30 Appointment'', depicts women in an office gazing lustfully at a window cleaner, while in the second, ''Dispenser'', a delivery man is the object of attention. The campaign went into hiatus for 10 years, before returning with a new advert in 2007, in an attempt to reposition Diet Coke towards its female consumers. The commercial, ''Lift'', follows a group of women who deliberately get trapped in an elevator in order to be rescued by an attractive technician. The final ''Diet Coke Break'' advert, ''Gardener'', was released in 2013, and starred
Andrew Cooper as a hunky gardener. ''Gardener'' became the most popular piece of advertising that Diet Coke had produced for 20 years, and was the first non-US made Coca-Cola advert to be shown during the
Oscars
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...
.
The ''Diet Coke Break'' campaign is remembered as being one of the earliest examples of gender roles being swapped in TV advertising, with women
objectifying attractive men, rather than the other way around – it has been described as "much loved" and "truly iconic". The campaign has also generated criticism over whether its adverts are
sexist
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
towards men. ''Dispenser'' was pulled off the air by the Canadian government, who felt that the commercial was demeaning to men. Similarly, in 2013 ''Gardener'' was included in a list of "sexist male adverts".
History
Adverts
, the ''Diet Coke Break'' campaign has included six television adverts.
''Diet Coke Break'' (1994)
The original ''Diet Coke Break'' advert was produced by
Lowe & Partners/SMS on a $70million account, and was one of seven television commercials to carry Diet Coke's new "This is refreshment" theme.
The advert was directed by
Jeremiah Chechik
Jeremiah S. Chechik (born Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian film and television director and photographer. His feature work includes ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' (1989), ''Benny & Joon'' (1993), ''Diabolique (1996 film), Diabol ...
and written by
Lee Garfinkel,
[ and premiered on US television in 1994. ''Diet Coke Break'' depicts a group of women working in an office in a skyscraper. At 11:30a.m., they excitedly call each other over to a window, to watch a handsome construction worker (Vanous) as he takes his "Diet Coke break".][ The construction worker removes his shirt and drinks a can of Diet Coke as the women ogle him. The advert is soundtracked by "I Just Want to Make Love to You" by ]Etta James
Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...
.[
The advert became a success, leading to Target Based Marketing in ]Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
producing a ''Diet Coke Break'' screensaver
A screensaver (or screen saver) is a computer program that blanks the display screen or fills it with moving images or patterns when the computer has been idle for a designated time. The original purpose of screensavers was to prevent phosphor s ...
, of which The Coca-Cola Company distributed 33,000 copies to computer users through both direct mail and a promotion with 134 radio stations.
''Magazine'' (1995)
Despite not initially planning for a sequel, Coca-Cola launched a second ''Diet Coke Break'' advert in June the following year. The commercial, ''Magazine'', saw Vanous return to his role as the Diet Coke hunk – he portrayed a model brought to life from the pages of a fashion magazine by a woman drinking a Diet Coke. The advert was created by the Toronto office of McCann-Erickson Worldwide.
''11.30 Appointment'' (1997)
The campaign returned two years later in 1997 with two new commercials. The first of these was titled ''11.30 Appointment'', and starred the actor Robert Merrill. The sequence features a group of women arriving at the reception area of an office building, each one for their "11:30 appointment", then sitting in a room with a large window. At 11:30a.m., an attractive shirtless window cleaner (Merrill) is lifted in a suspended platform past the window while drinking a can of Diet Coke. The women gaze at him longingly, with one (Nancy Meyer) remarking: "No wonder it's so hard to get an appointment here." Speaking about being cast in the advert, Merrill described it as "the job that everybody wanted".[
]
''Dispenser'' (1997)
The fourth ''Diet Coke Break'' advert, ''Dispenser'', premiered in the US during the 69th Academy Awards
The 69th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 24, 1997, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremo ...
on March 24, 1997, the same year as ''11.30 Appointment''.[ As with the previous two commercials, it is set in an office with a female workforce. At exactly 11:30a.m., a handsome delivery man (]Paul Johansson
Paul Johansson (born January 26, 1964) is an American-born Canadian actor and director in film and television, best known for playing Dan Scott on the WB/ CW series '' One Tree Hill'', ''The Notebook'', and for his role as Nick Wolfe on the s ...
) carrying two cases of Diet Coke exits an elevator on the women's floor. As the women stare at him, he places the cases down then takes a drink from one of the cans.[
''Dispenser'' was created by the ]Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
office of the Leo Burnett Company, and had already been introduced into the French and Spanish markets by the time it was released in the US. The advert received a UK release the following month.[ ''Dispenser'' became the first ''Diet Coke Break'' advert in which the man kept his shirt on.]
''Lift'' (2007)
After ''Dispenser'', ''Diet Coke Break'' commercials went into hiatus for ten years.[ Following the UK release of Coke Zero in 2006—which was deliberately being marketed at men—the campaign returned with a new advert, ''Lift'', to repromote Diet Coke towards the brand's female consumers.] An international search to find a new "hunk" began in 2006. Francois Xavier—an economics graduate from Lille
Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
—was subsequently cast to star in the advert.[ It was directed by Joe Roman and filmed in Buenos Aires,] and formed part of a wider campaign created by the advertising agency Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest, which included billboards, online and press advertising.
''Lift'' follows three women working in an office. Each carrying a can of Diet Coke, they enter an elevator and intentionally press the emergency call button. A technician (Xavier) sees the women on a CCTV monitor, and leaves his post to free them from the elevator. After descending from an emergency hatch in the ceiling, he releases the three women, who return to their desks. As with earlier ''Diet Coke Break'' adverts, ''Lift'' was soundtracked by "I Just Want to Make Love to You" – however, rather than James's original version, a new recording by Jocelyn Brown
Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and dance music, dance singer. She has a Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name. Brown sang ...
was used instead.[ The commercial premiered on British channel ]Five Life
5Star (stylized as 5STAR) is a British free-to-air television channel owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global, which is grouped under Paramount Networks UK & Australia division. It originally launc ...
on January 22, 2007.
''Gardener'' (2013)
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Diet Coke's launch in Europe, the ''Diet Coke Break'' campaign returned in 2013 with a sixth and, , final advert, titled ''Gardener''. In the commercial, a group of women are sitting in a park drinking Diet Coke and watching an attractive gardener ( Andrew Cooper) as he mows the grass. One woman rolls a can of Diet Coke to him, which hits his lawnmower. She gestures to him to drink from the can, which fizzes the soda all over him when he opens it. The women laugh at the gardener, at which he removes his T-shirt, revealing his muscular torso underneath. As the women gape at him in disbelief, the gardener walks away with a smile on his face. Unlike ''Lift'', James's version of "I Just Want to Make Love to You" returned as the advert's soundtrack.
''Gardener'' was created by advertising agency BETC London, and ran in more than 10 countries across Europe. It was written by Neil Dawson and Clive Pickering, and was directed by Rocky Morton
Rocky Morton (born 1955) is an English music video, television, and film director. He is the co-creator of the TV series '' Max Headroom'' and co-director of the 1993 Hollywood Pictures film ''Super Mario Bros
is a 1985 Platformer, pla ...
.[ A teaser for the advert was uploaded to Diet Coke's official Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. on January 28, 2013 – it was subsequently shared online more than 41,500 times.][ Once released onto television, the commercial became the most popular piece of advertising that Diet Coke had produced for 20 years, and was the first non-US made Coca-Cola advert to be shown during the ]Oscars
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...
.[
]
Retirement
By 2015 it was perceived that the ''Diet Coke Break'' campaign did not "represent the values of modern confident women", and the adverts were retired.[ In their place, a new campaign was launched encouraging women to "regret nothing". Promoting this new campaign, Bobby Brittain, the marketing strategy and activation director of Coca-Cola Great Britain, described the ''Diet Coke Break'' adverts as "much loved".][ Matthew Charlton, CEO of creative agency Brothers & Sisters, called the campaign "one of the most famous global advertising ideas ever created and a genuine creative franchise".][
]
Reception
The ''Diet Coke Break'' campaign is remembered as one of the earliest examples of gender roles being swapped in TV advertising, with women objectifying attractive men, rather than the other way around. The success of the original advert caught Coca-Cola by surprise, with Vanous remarking: "Neither I nor anyone else had any idea the commercial would cause this stir." Nancy Gibson, Diet Coke's worldwide brand director, stated that they were "thrilled" by the response to the advert. Following the success of the first ''Diet Coke Break'' commercial in the UK, its soundtrack—"I Just Want to Make Love to You" by Etta James—was re-released on CD single
A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...
on January 29, 1996, and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart. In 2005, the song was ranked at number 29 in Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
's one-off program ''Advertising's Greatest Hits''.
The adverts also generated criticism over whether they were sexist
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
against men. When ''Dispenser'' was broadcast in Canada, the national government felt that it was demeaning to men and pulled it off the air. Speaking in 2001 about his part in the ''Diet Coke Break'' campaign, Vanous remarked: "I felt very uncomfortable with that role as a sex object. Then I realized it's just part of the game."[ In 2013, the British newspaper '']The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' included ''Gardener'' in an article on "sexist male adverts", citing a debate on the Internet forum Mumsnet
Mumsnet is a London-based internet forum, created in 2000 by Justine Roberts for discussion among people with child- or teen-aged offspring.
History and finances
Mumsnet was created in 2000 by Justine Roberts to help parents pool informati ...
over whether it objectified men.[ Speaking in 2001, TV presenter ]Lowri Turner
Lowri Gwyneth Turner is a British former fashion journalist and television presenter, who works as a private nutritional therapist and clinical hypnotherapist.
Early life
Turner was born in 1964 in London, to Welsh parents Mervyn and Shirley ...
remarked: "It was reverse sexism
Reverse sexism is a controversial term for discrimination against men and boys, or for anti-male prejudice.
The term has been used to claim that men have become the primary victims of sexism. Specifically, opponents of affirmative action argue th ...
, but, having said that, it was also quite a bit of fun and I quite enjoyed it."[
]
Awards
In 1998, at the UK's 4th National Television Awards, ''11.30 Appointment'' won in the category for Most Popular Advertisement; Merrill attended the ceremony and accepted the trophy.
Legacy
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first ''Diet Coke Break'' advert, a £3.5million multimedia marketing campaign was launched in 2014. The campaign spanned television, radio, print and social media, and included ''Gardener'' returning to British television. The advert was also recreated on February 13, 2014, in a stunt at London's Finsbury Avenue Square, which was transformed into a live "hunk experience" with 20 shirtless male models.
Parodies
Since it premiered in 1994, the ''Diet Coke Break'' campaign has been parodied in adverts for other companies. In 1999, ''11.30 Appointment'' was parodied in an advert for the British beer John Smith's
John Smith's Brewery in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England, produces beers including John Smith's, the highest selling bitter in the United Kingdom since the mid-1990s.
The majority of John Smith's sales are of the nitrogenated Extra Smooth ...
. As in ''11.30 Appointment'', the advert shows a topless version of John Smith's mascot (the cardboard cut-out "No Nonsense Man") being lifted in a suspended platform past the window of an office boardroom in a skyscraper. A narrator ( John Thomson) asks: "Could this be the smoothest way to advertise John Smith's Extra Smooth?" The camera then pulls back to reveal that the room's only occupant is an uninterested cleaner vacuuming the floor, to which the narrator answers: "...No."
Seventeen years later, the water company Icelandic Glacial
Icelandic Glacial (stylized as ÍCELANDIC GLACIAL®) is a bottled water brand sourced from the Ölfus Spring in Iceland. Spring water is bottled at a geothermally-powered facility located adjacent to the spring.
Founded in 2004 by Icelandic e ...
parodied ''Diet Coke Break'' in a 2016 advert for their spring water.[ Like ''Diet Coke Break'', the advert begins with a group of women in an office excitedly telling other: "It's 10:30." As they gather to look out of a window, an attractive surfer ( Brock O'Hurn) emerges from the sea, removes his wetsuit and drinks a bottle of water, as the workers ogle at him.][ '']The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' praised Icelandic Glacial for giving the original Diet Coke advert a "queer makeover" by making one of the people at the window a man.[
In 2019, the car manufacturer ]Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors Limited , ;Company No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. is a British Automoti ...
also parodied ''Diet Coke Break'' to promote their new Astra Light model. The advert begins similarly to ''Diet Coke Break'', with women working in an office excitedly telling each other that it is "Break time" and then gathering at a window. However, rather than gazing at a handsome man, the women are instead watching an Astra Light being driven around a parking lot. Promoting the new advert, marketing director Patrick Fourniol described the original ''Diet Coke Break'' advert as "truly iconic".
The campaign was also referenced in " The Red Door", the fourth episode of the British sitcom ''The IT Crowd
''The IT Crowd'' is a British television sitcom originally broadcast by Channel 4, created, written, and directed by Graham Linehan, produced by Ash Atalla and starring Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, and Matt Berry. Set in th ...
''. In the episode, the character Jen distracts a pair of female workers in an office by telling them there is a builder outside taking off his shirt, "like in ads". After the women run over to the window to look at the shirtless man, it is revealed that he is actually overweight and unattractive.
References
{{Use mdy dates, date=November 2020
1994 in American television
1994 works
American television commercials
British television commercials
Coca-Cola
Sexism