Adverts
As of November 2020, the Diet Coke Break campaign has included six television adverts.
Diet Coke Break (1994)
The original Diet Coke Break advert was produced by Lowe & Partners/SMS on a $70million account, and was one of seven television commercials to carry Diet Coke's new "This is refreshment" theme. The advert was directed by Jeremiah Chechik and written by Lee Garfinkel, and premiered on US television in 1994. Diet Coke Break depicts a group of women working in an office in a skyscraper. At 11:30a.m., they excitedly call each other over to a window, to watch a handsome construction worker (Vanous) as he takes his "Diet Coke break". The construction worker removes his shirt and drinks a can of Diet Coke as the women ogle him. The advert is soundtracked by "I Just Want to Make Love to You" by Etta James.
The advert became a success, leading to Target Based Marketing in Dallas producing a Diet Coke Break screensaver, of which The Coca-Cola Company distributed 33,000 copies to computer users through both direct mail and a promotion with 134 radio stations.
Magazine (1995)
Despite not initially planning for a sequel, Coca-Cola launched a second Diet Coke Break advert in June the following year. The commercial, Magazine, saw Vanous return to his role as the Diet Coke hunk – he portrayed a model brought to life from the pages of a fashion magazine by a woman drinking a Diet Coke. The advert was created by the Toronto office of McCann-Erickson Worldwide.
11.30 Appointment (1997)
The campaign returned two years later in 1997 with two new commercials. The first of these was titled 11.30 Appointment, and starred the actor Robert Merrill. The sequence features a group of women arriving at the reception area of an office building, each one for their "11:30 appointment", then sitting in a room with a large window. At 11:30a.m., an attractive shirtless window cleaner (Merrill) is lifted in a suspended platform past the window while drinking a can of Diet Coke. The women gaze at him longingly, with one (Nancy Meyer) remarking: "No wonder it's so hard to get an appointment here." Speaking about being cast in the advert, Merrill described it as "the job that everybody wanted".
Dispenser (1997)
The fourth Diet Coke Break advert, Dispenser, premiered in the US during the 69th Academy Awards on March 24, 1997, the same year as 11.30 Appointment. As with the previous two commercials, it is set in an office with a female workforce. At exactly 11:30a.m., a handsome delivery man (Paul Johansson) carrying two cases of Diet Coke exits an elevator on the women's floor. As the women stare at him, he places the cases down then takes a drink from one of the cans.
Dispenser was created by the Milan office of the Leo Burnett Company, and had already been introduced into the French and Spanish markets by the time it was released in the US. The advert received a UK release the following month. Dispenser became the first Diet Coke Break advert in which the man kept his shirt on.
Lift (2007)
After Dispenser, Diet Coke Break commercials went into hiatus for ten years. Following the UK release of Coke Zero in 2006—which was deliberately being marketed at men—the campaign returned with a new advert, Lift, to repromote Diet Coke towards the brand's female consumers. An international search to find a new "hunk" began in 2006. Francois Xavier—an economics graduate from Lille—was subsequently cast to star in the advert. It was directed by Joe Roman and filmed in Buenos Aires, and formed part of a wider campaign created by the advertising agency Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest, which included billboards, online and press advertising.
Lift follows three women working in an office. Each carrying a can of Diet Coke, they enter an elevator and intentionally press the emergency call button. A technician (Xavier) sees the women on a CCTV monitor, and leaves his post to free them from the elevator. After descending from an emergency hatch in the ceiling, he releases the three women, who return to their desks. As with earlier Diet Coke Break adverts, Lift was soundtracked by "I Just Want to Make Love to You" – however, rather than James's original version, a new recording by Jocelyn Brown was used instead. The commercial premiered on British channel Five Life on January 22, 2007.
Gardener (2013)
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Diet Coke's launch in Europe, the Diet Coke Break campaign returned in 2013 with a sixth and, as of 2020, final advert, titled Gardener. In the commercial, a group of women are sitting in a park drinking Diet Coke and watching an attractive gardener (Andrew Cooper) as he mows the grass. One woman rolls a can of Diet Coke to him, which hits his lawnmower. She gestures to him to drink from the can, which fizzes the soda all over him when he opens it. The women laugh at the gardener, at which he removes his T-shirt, revealing his muscular torso underneath. As the women gape at him in disbelief, the gardener walks away with a smile on his face. Unlike Lift, James's version of "I Just Want to Make Love to You" returned as the advert's soundtrack.
Gardener was created by advertising agency BETC London, and ran in more than 10 countries across Europe. It was written by Neil Dawson and Clive Pickering, and was directed by Rocky Morton. A teaser for the advert was uploaded to Diet Coke's official Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. on January 28, 2013 – it was subsequently shared online more than 41,500 times. Once released onto television, the commercial became the most popular piece of advertising that Diet Coke had produced for 20 years, and was the first non-US made Coca-Cola advert to be shown during the Oscars.
Diet Coke Break (1994)
The original Diet Coke Break advert was produced by Lowe & Partners/SMS on a $70million account, and was one of seven television commercials to carry Diet Coke's new "This is refreshment" theme. The advert was directed by Jeremiah Chechik and written by Lee Garfinkel, and premiered on US television in 1994. Diet Coke Break depicts a group of women working in an office in a skyscraper. At 11:30a.m., they excitedly call each other over to a window, to watch a handsome construction worker (Vanous) as he takes his "Diet Coke break". The construction worker removes his shirt and drinks a can of Diet Coke as the women ogle him. The advert is soundtracked by "I Just Want to Make Love to You" by Etta James.
The advert became a success, leading to Target Based Marketing in Dallas producing a Diet Coke Break screensaver, of which The Coca-Cola Company distributed 33,000 copies to computer users through both direct mail and a promotion with 134 radio stations.
Magazine (1995)
Despite not initially planning for a sequel, Coca-Cola launched a second Diet Coke Break advert in June the following year. The commercial, Magazine, saw Vanous return to his role as the Diet Coke hunk – he portrayed a model brought to life from the pages of a fashion magazine by a woman drinking a Diet Coke. The advert was created by the Toronto office of McCann-Erickson Worldwide.
11.30 Appointment (1997)
The campaign returned two years later in 1997 with two new commercials. The first of these was titled 11.30 Appointment, and starred the actor Robert Merrill. The sequence features a group of women arriving at the reception area of an office building, each one for their "11:30 appointment", then sitting in a room with a large window. At 11:30a.m., an attractive shirtless window cleaner (Merrill) is lifted in a suspended platform past the window while drinking a can of Diet Coke. The women gaze at him longingly, with one (Nancy Meyer) remarking: "No wonder it's so hard to get an appointment here." Speaking about being cast in the advert, Merrill described it as "the job that everybody wanted".
Dispenser (1997)
The fourth Diet Coke Break advert, Dispenser, premiered in the US during the 69th Academy Awards on March 24, 1997, the same year as 11.30 Appointment. As with the previous two commercials, it is set in an office with a female workforce. At exactly 11:30a.m., a handsome delivery man (Paul Johansson) carrying two cases of Diet Coke exits an elevator on the women's floor. As the women stare at him, he places the cases down then takes a drink from one of the cans.
Dispenser was created by the Milan office of the Leo Burnett Company, and had already been introduced into the French and Spanish markets by the time it was released in the US. The advert received a UK release the following month. Dispenser became the first Diet Coke Break advert in which the man kept his shirt on.
Lift (2007)
After Dispenser, Diet Coke Break commercials went into hiatus for ten years. Following the UK release of Coke Zero in 2006—which was deliberately being marketed at men—the campaign returned with a new advert, Lift, to repromote Diet Coke towards the brand's female consumers. An international search to find a new "hunk" began in 2006. Francois Xavier—an economics graduate from Lille—was subsequently cast to star in the advert. It was directed by Joe Roman and filmed in Buenos Aires, and formed part of a wider campaign created by the advertising agency Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest, which included billboards, online and press advertising.
Lift follows three women working in an office. Each carrying a can of Diet Coke, they enter an elevator and intentionally press the emergency call button. A technician (Xavier) sees the women on a CCTV monitor, and leaves his post to free them from the elevator. After descending from an emergency hatch in the ceiling, he releases the three women, who return to their desks. As with earlier Diet Coke Break adverts, Lift was soundtracked by "I Just Want to Make Love to You" – however, rather than James's original version, a new recording by Jocelyn Brown was used instead. The commercial premiered on British channel Five Life on January 22, 2007.
Gardener (2013)
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Diet Coke's launch in Europe, the Diet Coke Break campaign returned in 2013 with a sixth and, as of 2020, final advert, titled Gardener. In the commercial, a group of women are sitting in a park drinking Diet Coke and watching an attractive gardener (Andrew Cooper) as he mows the grass. One woman rolls a can of Diet Coke to him, which hits his lawnmower. She gestures to him to drink from the can, which fizzes the soda all over him when he opens it. The women laugh at the gardener, at which he removes his T-shirt, revealing his muscular torso underneath. As the women gape at him in disbelief, the gardener walks away with a smile on his face. Unlike Lift, James's version of "I Just Want to Make Love to You" returned as the advert's soundtrack.
Gardener was created by advertising agency BETC London, and ran in more than 10 countries across Europe. It was written by Neil Dawson and Clive Pickering, and was directed by Rocky Morton. A teaser for the advert was uploaded to Diet Coke's official Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. on January 28, 2013 – it was subsequently shared online more than 41,500 times. Once released onto television, the commercial became the most popular piece of advertising that Diet Coke had produced for 20 years, and was the first non-US made Coca-Cola advert to be shown during the Oscars.
Retirement
By 2015 it was perceived that the Diet Coke Break campaign did not "represent the values of modern confident women", and the adverts were retired. In their place, a new campaign was launched encouraging women to "regret nothing". Promoting this new campaign, Bobby Brittain, the marketing strategy and activation director of Coca-Cola Great Britain, described the Diet Coke Break adverts as "much loved". Matthew Charlton, CEO of creative agency Brothers & Sisters, called the campaign "one of the most famous global advertising ideas ever created and a genuine creative franchise".
