Working Bravely: #AmericaIsBeautiful

Coca-Cola reminds us that out of many, we are one.

Working Bravely is an occasional series about brilliant (and sometimes infamous) marketing.

For our inaugural edition, we’re taking a look at #AmericaIsBeautiful from The Coca-Cola Company. (Disclosure: I worked at Coca-Cola from 2010-2014, during which time this spot was filmed and aired.)

For the 2014 Super Bowl, Coca-Cola decided to use its after-halftime spot to highlight the diversity and beauty of America and its people. #AmericaIsBeautiful shows daily life unfolding from sea to shining sea while America the Beautiful is sung in seven languages - English, Spanish, Keres Pueblo (a First Nations language), Tagalog, Hindi, Senegalese French, and Hebrew.

Take a look:

The children whose voices are featured each sang the song in its entirety, and they were stitched together in post-production. Each of the children was also featured in behind-the-scenes videos which, sadly, are no longer available online. Also groundbreaking, this was the first Super Bowl ad to ever feature a same-sex couple.

The spot proved immediately divisive.

Rather than wilting in the face of the backlash, Coca-Cola doubled down on #AmericaIsBeautiful and its message. They released an extended version for the 2014 Olympics (which is the version embedded above) and went on to air it on July 4th and Memorial Day, New Year’s Eve, and during multiple Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

Katharine Lee Bates published the lyrics of America the Beautiful as a poem entitled “Pike’s Peak” on July 4, 1893. An updated version, with the lyrics we know today, was published in 1904. Separately, Samuel A. Ward, the choirmaster and organist at Grace Church in Newark, NJ, composed a tune for the hymn “Materna” in 1892. Bates’ poem had been set to at least 75 different melodies by 1900, but by 1910 Ward’s melody had been set to Bates’ lyrics and was considered the best pairing. Ward’s music and Bates’ poem were finally published together that year as America the Beautiful. Ward died in 1903, never knowing how cherished his music would become. However, by the time Bates died in 1929, the song was widely popular and loved. Ward and Bates never met.

Nine years later, #AmericaIsBeautiful stands the test of time as a beautiful piece of creative work from a brand brave enough to take a stand.