Great ideas can come at any time. For McCann-Erickson's creative director Bill Backer in January 1971, one of those great ideas came while enduring a weather-induced layover in Shannon, Ireland. "I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company," Backer wrote on the back of a napkin. At that point, it was just an idea--but it would soon become one of the most enduring jingles in history. Songwriters Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook, Backer and Coca-Cola's music director Billy Davis would write and produce the jingle within just a few days.
"I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke," performed by popular British act The New Seekers, was the soundtrack for one of Coke's most famous commercials, July 1971's "Hilltop." The jingle was so popular that it was recorded as a full-length song and became a commercial hit in both the U.S. and the U.K., where later in 1971 it spent several weeks at the top of the charts.
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"I'd Like To Buy the World a Coke" is just one of the 10 best-ever advertising jingles as voted on by a group of CMO's and advertising luminaries, including Jeff Goodby, cofounder and cochairman of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners; Kim M. Sharan, CMO of Ameriprise; and Milda Milecivus, executive vice president of New York's Korey Kay & Partners. When there was a tie, veteran ad-watching editors from Forbes weighed in on the selections.
What makes an enduring jingle? "First of all, it has to have huge sticking power," said Linda Kaplan Thaler, CEO and chief creative officer of New York ad agency the Kaplan Thaler Group. "A jingle is not successful if you listen to it once and like it. You have to listen to it and want to sing it. Essentially you become the advertiser for the brand."
Image: McDonalds
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