New Diet Coke Hunk

Watching television at home- probably just in my pants with a couple of Hob Nobs balanced on my stomach [calm down, ladies]- when suddenly:


*Bad-da-dada-da-da! Dee-yoo, dee-yyooO! Bad-da-dada-da-da! Dee-yoo, dee-yyooO!*

[Instantly:] Diet Coke?

"AAAhh don't want you to be no slave..." *bad-da-dada-da-da!* "AAAhh don't want you to work all day..."

[Confirmed:] Diet Coke.


Such is the affinity of Etta James' 'I Just Want to Make Love to You' with the Diet Coke brand that it only takes the first few bars of the song for the comparison to made in the mind of consumer- whether male or female. In a way it could be said that Diet Coke almost owns that song, and the brand, specifically Diet Coke, has built up an institution around that original Hunk, when it first flipped the traditional gender roles on their back in 1994 [I know, 1994, right!].

The 1990s photo quality makes it look a little voyeuristic... like secret camera footage...?

So with this in mind it is not surprising that to celebrate its 30th birthday Diet Coke are releasing a fourth Hunk advert to whet the appetites (and wet the knickers) of its predominantly female-centric consumer base. The advert, by agency BETC London, plays with the established tradition of young and attractive ladies looking for a bit of eye (knicker) candy and the more-than-likely-blue-collar hunk revelling in the female gaze- and, I must say, it works. It works, and it always has. Check it out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuHV4gwSXn4&list=UUZCOHRqaKeRVfKSwjEGAF5A&index=2

Why does it work? Aside from the obvious nostalgia from the previous adverts in 1994, 1997, and 2007, Diet Coke adverts have always left everybody happy. In an age where gender politics must be carefully navigated, Diet Coke has generally waded through like a cheeky club-footed elephant, winking and smiling as it goes. In this advert we see the active empowerment of women in their manipulation of the situation to their advantage; rolling the can to the mower so it fizzes up, man opens can, then ohmyGodithasonlybloodywellgonealloverhim! The man takes off the shirt, the ladies, delighted, gasp, having gotten exactly what they wanted. The man, although having a perfectly good shirt ruined [does he give a f**k!] is absolutely bloody loving the attention- because men are a bit like that (you could kick a man in the low-hanging fruit and he'd be fine with it as long as you said "My word, I almost broke my foot on that!"). Women are left feeling satisfied for seeing women ogle over men for a change; men don’t really care because they understand why women are ogling over him “I can’t blame them birds, that fella is f**king ripped!"; they don't even drink Diet Coke (don't believe the man in the advert- it's probably beer or Irn Bru in that can.)

Either a still from the new Diet Coke advert, or someone's about to p*ss through your letterbox.

So, good old Diet Coke: a great example of how a brand leader can assert its market dominance with an old favourite. Sometimes innovation isn't needed, sometimes it's best to just give the public what they want: ripped and sticky abs.