Coca-Cola, Diversity and Inclusion for "Pool Boy"
March 2, 2017
Coca-Cola’s latest television commercial, “Pool Boy,” gives the classic soft drink advertisement a fresh, modern twist by having a brother and sister both lust after their pool boy. This time around, Coca-Cola has ensured that its advertising efforts are both sexy and inclusive. The commercial is a cheeky throwback to the now iconic 1994 commercial, “Diet Coke Break,” in which businesswomen gawked a shirtless construction worker outside their office.
In “Pool Boy,” the siblings are eyeing a bare-chested, handsome young man as he cleans their swimming pool. They both race down the stairs, tripping over each other, hoping to offer the pool boy a Coke, only to find that someone else in their family has beaten them to it. “Pool Boy” is one of four new spots for Coca-Cola’s “Taste the Feeling” global campaign that launched in 2016. The commercial was intended as a human story where a key role in the development of the drama is a bottle of Coca-Cola.
The campaign unites advertising for Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Light, and Coca-Cola Life. In another spot, “Elevator,” a hotel housekeeper and music star get stuck in the hotel elevator and they make light of the situation by drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola. “Pool Boy” promotes both diversity and inclusion for the LGBT community (similarly to the 2014 Super Bowl advertisement that featured a gay couple), while “Elevator” attempts to bridge the class divide in a subtle way. “Pool Boy” and the others within the campaign show how drinking Coca-Cola makes everyday moments special.