COKE SAYS SUMMER IS HERE!! – LA LA LA, YEAH YEAH YEAH!!

Joyful pop has often enjoyed a good use of the exclamation ‘Yeah!’.

From The Beatles ‘She Loves You’, through Stereo MC’s ‘Step It Up’ to … um … anything by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, there’s never a time when a happy positive shout hasn’t lightened a tune. So it’s hardly surprising that Mother London asked Calvin Harris, the face of 80’s acceptability in the Noughties, to use the familiar refrain to carry the infectious ditty he penned for Coca Cola’s summer campaign.

The real surprise is it’s being sung by fluffy monsters.

For it’s summer 2009 bonanza, Coca-Cola is capturing the essence of the season with ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah, La La La’, part of the Open Happiness platform. Centred around inspiring people to say yes to the opportunities that summer brings, the joyous spot is created by Mother London features an exclusive track written and produced by electro superstar Calvin Harris.

We were utterly beguiled by the curious magic that unfolded in the 60 second spot, so asked the kindly mothers at Mother for clarification. Here’s what they had to say.

What was the brief?

Summer is such an important time for Coca-Cola but each year we alternate between music, football, meals and a whole raft of other campaigns. We needed an overarching idea that could carry these different tasks and ensure our core target of teens made Coke a part of their summer.

What’s the strategy behind it?

To create something that captured Coke¹s feeling of uplifting refreshment in summer time. However, everyone¹s summer is different and there aren¹t universal dates and customs like there are at Christmas. Telling people what to think about Coke at summer wouldn¹t work, we had to try and make them feel it.

How did the collaboration with Calvin Harris come about?

Everyone enjoys music particularly teens who are passionate about it. We wanted to make something that fitted with the feeling of the ad but could maybe have a life outside it. We knew it had to be upbeat, catchy & summery so we gave Calvin that loose & vague brief (and to include our piece of nonsense ³Yeah yeah yeah la la la²). He came back with something that blew us away. Calvin¹s demo made our idea even more interesting & an infectious track in its own right, something that could credibly make it onto our own iPods and maybe a few teens along the way.

Where did the idea for the spot come from?

The idea came one Sunday when one of the creatives from the ad agency spilled some Coke in his bedroom and watched bemused as his pet guinea pig lapped it up, sat bolt upright and started to sing in a beautiful tenor voice.

So that’s us told.

Directed by Reel favourite Dougal Wilson (Blink) and with the sort of inspired wackiness (in a good way) we’ve come to expect from Mother, the spot is a bona fide summer classic. We predict ringtone action and ‘cool’ replications from the kids, and serious summery joy from the rest of us.

YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!

Credits are:
Creative Director - Mother
Art Director - Mother
Copywriter - Mother
Strategists - Mother
Illustrator for outdoor - Ronald Kurniawan
Director/ Production Co - Dougal Wilson (Blink)
Producer - Matt Fone (Blink)
Editor - Joe Guest (Final Cut)
Post Production - Julie Evans (MPC)
Flame Artist - Tom Harding - (MPC)
Colourist - Jean Clement - (MPC)
Sound Design - Sam Robson - Sound designer (Factory)
DoP - Alwin Kuchler (Blink)
Production Company (New Zealand)
Line Producer - William Grieve (Big Pictures)
Production Designer - Rick Kofoed - (Big Pictures)
Art Director - Guy Treadgold - (Big Pictures)
Model Maker - Justin Buckingham - (Big Pictures)
Music - composer & recording artist - Calvin Harris (EMI)

The integrated campaign, launching mid-May, has a number of elements including a TVC, digital, outdoor advertising, Piccadilly Sign sequence, on-pack promotion and ‘Coke Zone’ collateral, as well the limited-edition ‘Selfridges Centenary’ original glass bottle.