Celebrating Advertising History

Q: How did the idea for the song come about?
A: Bill Backer, McCann Erickson creative director, was inspired to write the song when his flight into London was delayed by fog. In the airport café, he witnessed the previously angry passengers, sitting together and sharing stories over a drink of Coca-Cola. Coke's power to connect people and make them smile inspired Backer to write the most famous line of the song: "I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company."

Q: Who wrote the words and original music?
A: The words and original music for the song, "Buy the World a Coke," were composed by Bill Backer and Billy Davis of the McCann Erickson advertising agency, in collaboration with British songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenway.

Q: Who sang the song?
A: A popular Australian singing group called The New Seekers. The group was in London to record several radio commercials for The Coca-Cola Company.

Q: How did the song end up being used in a commercial?
A: Originally, the song was intended to be a radio ad to support the "It's the Real Thing" campaign, but the spot flopped - bottlers didn't like it and refused to buy airtime for it. McCann Erickson convinced Coca-Cola executives that the song needed a visual dimension and, thus, the commercial known as "Hilltop" was born.

Q: Where was the commercial made?
A: Originally, the commercial's setting was to be the cliffs of Dover on England's southern coast; but three days of continuous rain - with more forecasted - forced the production to be moved to Rome, Italy.

Q: How long did it take to shoot the commercial?
A: Once the shoot was moved from England to Italy, it took two days to complete filming of the ad.

Q: How did the producers find the talent?
A: The production crew filled the chorus by contacting foreign embassies in Rome as well as using local residents. The lead female, a British nanny named Linda Neary, was discovered pushing a baby carriage down the street in Rome - just two days before production began.

Q: How much did the original commercial cost to produce?
A: A budget of $250,000 was provided to McCann to create the spot. At the time, this was one of the largest amounts ever spent on a commercial.

Q: How many times has the song been remade?
A: Since 1971, the song has been remade more than 75 times, including renditions by Wayne Newton and Carol Lawrence, Chet Atkins and British rock band No Way Sis. This year, Coca-Cola South Africa, is updating the song to represent the spirit of the new "Coke Side of Life" campaign. A radio spot featuring the original New Seekers soundtrack mixed with Reggae, Kwaito, Hip Hop and Heavy Rock will deliver an upbeat sound to appeal to a wide audience.

Q: Was the commercial ever remade?
A: Yes. The Hilltop theme inspired the 1977 holiday commercial titled "Candles," as well as a reunion commercial that launched the "Can't Beat the Real Thing" campaign for Coca-Cola Classic.

Q: Did any of the original cast members ever participate in any of the revised spots?
A: Yes. Several original cast members of the "Hilltop" commercial reprised their roles for the reunion ad in 1990 supporting the "Can't Beat the Real Thing" campaign which launched during Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990 (CBS Sports). Eve Graham, the lead singer from the New Seekers even appeared in this version.

Q: Did any of the people from the commercial go on to be successful singers or actors?
A: Two Italians later gained fame. Rudolpho Bigotti became a noted actor and Christina Scribani became a well known model.

Q: What impact did the commercial have?
A: The Coca-Cola Company received 10,000 letters from consumers within 10 days of the first air date, and radio stations around the country were inundated with requests for the song, which would later become a top 40 hit.

Q: Are there any plans to release the original ad back onto TV screens?
A: No, but the public can still view the original commercial which has been restored in High Definition (HD) Format and is housed at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.