Coca-Cola’s Multilingual “America” Ad Didn’t Hit Wrong Notes

A major US sporting event is the football championship known as the Super Bowl. Many anticipate the television advertisements aired during the game more than the game itself. Coca-Cola’s ad celebrated multiculturalism by featuring the song “America the Beautiful” sung in eight languages from Arabic to Tagalog. Critics immediately blasted the ad, suggesting that the patriotic song should be sung only in English. An opinion essay in the Lebanon Daily News suggests the song, urging the nation to “crown thy good with brotherhood,” is lovely in any language. The essay urges connections, with Americans learning a second language and immigrants learning English: “Our inclusive society requires some desire on the part of others to be included.” Business publications rallied around the ad, pointing out the benefits of global connections. About 60 percent of Coca-Cola’s revenue, after all, is from international sales. Foreign firms account for more than 5 million US jobs and almost 16 percent of the country’s private research and development spending. The essay deems the ad a success because people debate its contents days later. – YaleGlobal