.png)
.webp)
Looking to connect with the new Gen X generation, Coca-Cola launched "You Can't Beat The Feeling," a campaign directed by Ridley Scott and created by McCann-Erickson, in 1987.
The J. Geils Band's "The Refreshing Feeling" provided the soundtrack.
.webp)
In 1985, Pepsi-Cola captured 31.4% of the soft drink market, closing in on Coca-Cola's 36.8% share.
Pepsi was on a roll, enlisting Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Michael J. Fox to market directly to teenagers, running TV commercials that showed these stars drinking Pepsi between performances and movie scenes.
Coca-Cola’s signature glass bottle and red-and-white logo had become American icons, yet their market research showed teenagers viewed the brand as "old-fashioned" and "something their parents drank."
The company launched "You Can't Beat The Feeling" in 1987 to better compete with Pepsi.
Their commercials featured young people skateboarding, breakdancing, and using early personal computers—all while drinking Coke.
The new ads ran in 27 countries and used local musicians to adapt the campaign's theme song for each market.
Coca-Cola spent $32 million on this campaign to show it could adapt.
They needed to convince shareholders and consumers that a 101-year-old company could thrive in shopping malls, video arcades, and MTV broadcasts.
In the late ‘80s, Coca-Cola commercials featured specific scenes that connected with young consumers' daily lives.
In one 30-second spot, four teenagers rode skateboards down Market Street in San Francisco, their wheels clicking against the pavement.
They stopped at a corner store, bought ice-cold Cokes, and drank them while sitting on the curb.
Another commercial showed three high school students practicing guitar and drums in a cramped suburban garage.
Amplifiers hummed, cymbals crashed, and sweat dripped as they worked through their songs.
Between sets, they passed around Coke cans that left rings of condensation on their amp cases.
These weren't random scenes.
Each commercial tied Coca-Cola to skateboarding, making music, and hanging out with friends.
Coca-Cola's “You Can't Beat The Feeling” campaign worked.
By 1989, teenagers ranked Coke as their favorite soft drink in national surveys.
McCann-Erickson created "You Can't Beat The Feeling" for Coca-Cola.
Project leader David Smith assembled a six-person team:
Over three months, they interviewed 2,000 consumers across 12 cities, asking specific questions about their drinking habits.
The research revealed three key insights:
After testing 50 potential taglines, the team landed on "You Can't Beat The Feeling."
The campaign launched nationwide in January 1988 across 100 markets, running on prime-time television slots and 2,000 billboards.
.webp)
Coca-Cola invested $300 million in global advertising for its new marketing bliz.
The campaign delivered immediate results: Coca-Cola's unit case sales jumped from 7.3 billion in 1988 to 7.8 billion in 1989—a 7% increase worth $2.1 billion in additional revenue.
In key markets like the United States, market share grew from 39.9% to 41.2%, widening the gap with Pepsi's 31.8%.
The momentum continued through 1991, with Coca-Cola gaining market share in 21 of its 25 largest markets.
Unit case volume climbed another 12% over these two years, reaching 8.7 billion cases.
Translating to $1.9 billion in profits by 1991, up from $1.5 billion in 1988!
Ridley Scott stepped away from science fiction to direct Coca-Cola commercials.
While audiences knew him for "Alien's" dark corridors and "Blade Runner's" neon-drenched streets, he now turned his camera to cola and smiling faces.
The "You Can't Beat The Feeling" campaign needed a director who could pack storytelling into 30-second slots.
Scott delivered this through sweeping crane shots, precise lighting, and careful composition.
In one commercial, he positioned dancers on an actual New York rooftop at sunset, their movements synchronized to catch the last rays of sunlight.
The camera tracked across their faces as they passed Coca-Cola bottles from hand to hand, condensation visible on the glass.
Scott created memorable moments:
The J. Geils Band partnered with Coca-Cola in 1988 to create "The Refreshing Feeling" jingle for the "You Can't Beat The Feeling" campaign.
The band, riding high from their 1981 hits "Centerfold" (#1 on Billboard) and "Freeze Frame" (#4), brought their signature blend of rock and blues to the commercial soundtrack.
The song's driving guitar riffs and keyboard hooks matched Coca-Cola's fast-paced television spots, which showed teenagers skateboarding, dancing, and sharing drinks at sunset.
Lead singer Peter Wolf's raspy vocals delivered the campaign's central message through the chorus: "You can't beat the feeling, the refreshing feeling."
The song played in prime-time television slots across 150 countries for two years.
.png){kind=logo}
.webp)
.webp)