Coca-Cola coughed up the cash for two ads during the Super Bowl, but its pre-game spot was one of the most talked-about and controversial.
Same was true in 2014 when it first aired!
The beverage giant aired a re-run of the spot it ran February 2, 2014, when the Seattle Seahawks drubbed the Denver Broncos 43-8.
Last night, if the poignant pre-game Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad, fittingly titled, "It"s Beautiful" felt familiar, that"s because it was … identical.
It features a cast of diverse people singing "America The Beautiful," first in English, but also languages like Hindi, Arabic, and Tagalog.
The ad is designed to portray the multi-cultural make-up of the U.S., and given the current political climate, carried special significance.
Not surprisingly, it is even more polarizing now than it was then – which was pretty polarizing even in relatively quaint, peaceful 2014.
Last time the spot aired, a bunch of people hated it, taking to social media to air their grievances against the brand (see gallery below).
"One simply does NOT sing America the Beautiful in ANY language but English! Get on board or OUT!" one Facebook user posted.
Coke"s FB page was, and is, transforming into a wall of conservative protest … the U.S. president knows something about those apparently.
The pointless hashtag #BoycottCoke has resurfaced as well.
Meanwhile, supporters of the brand and its message have been equally vocal praising the ad, along with some notably similar others.
Combined with the 84 Lumber Super Bowl ad, the Airbnb Super Bowl commercial and others, the theme of Sunday night was consistent.
Check out the 2014/2017 Coke spot below:
