"Heist," an animated TV ad in which bees, ladybugs, grasshoppers and other insects join forces to rob a slumbering picnicker of a bottle of Coca-Cola, won the 2009 Emmy for Outstanding Commercial this weekend during the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Creative Arts Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
The "Open Happiness" spot topped a field of eight Emmy-nominated commercials, including ads for Anheuser-Busch, Nike and American Express.
The honor is the latest in a string of high-profile awards given to global Coca-Cola ads in recent years. "Videogame" and "Happiness Factory" won Gold and Silver Lion awards, respectively, at the 2007 Cannes International Advertising Festival; "Library" won a Gold CLIO and "Happiness Factory 3" took home a Bronze CLIO earlier this year; and "It's Mine" won a 2008 Silver Lion at Cannes, a 2009 Gold CLIO and a 2009 Yellow Pencil award.
Wieden + Kennedy and the animators at Psyop created the spot, which debuted during this year's Super Bowl telecast in the United States and has since delighted consumers in more than a dozen markets around the world. Watch "Heist."
"'Heist' evokes simple joyfulness and innocence, which really resonates in today's challenging times," said Pio Schunker, Senior Vice President of Creative Excellence, Coca-Cola North America . "The ad presents an intimate world in an epic fashion suitable for the Super Bowl and Coca-Cola to show opposing forces joining hands for the greater good of everyone."
Katie Bayne, Coca-Cola North America's Chief Marketing Officer, added, "Central to 'Open Happiness' is the simple notion of enjoying an ice-cold Coca-Cola and taking a small break from the day to connect with others. With 'Heist' and the rest of this campaign, that's exactly what we're inviting people to do more often -- open a Coke and share a little happiness."
The Emmy Awards created the Outstanding Commercial category in 1997. Coca-Cola was nominated in 2007 for "Happiness Factory" and in 2008 for "It's Mine." |
