Coca-Cola: Open Like Never Before

The Coronavirus has impacted 2020 and the rest of history in crazier ways then we can imagine. This year is a year that our future kids and grandkids will see in history books, the same way we read about the Civil War or the Bubonic Plague. COVID-19 has shut down many

businesses and companies, and the ones that haven’t are struggling to stay afloat in the midst of this economic depression. In response to this extreme time, Coca-Cola has decided to shine a positive light on the situation at hand by launching a campaign with London-born spoken word artist, George “The Poet” Mpanga. They created a short film that encourages viewers to “embrace change, to see possibility, and to better appreciate things they perhaps took for granted before the pandemic.”

Developed by 72andSunny’s branch in Amsterdam, “Open Like Never Before” has extended to social and digital channels and is inviting people to share their pledges with the hashtag #openlikeneverbefore. The program also includes grassroots programs to support hard-hit hotels, cafes, and restaurants that are reopening after a long hiatus. Small businesses can develop social media and outdoor advertising to spread the world of their reopening plans, via the digital Coca-Cola AdCreator, and amplified by media space donated by Coca-Cola. This commercial comes after a 7 month global advertising pause but during that time, Coca-Cola was busy redirecting resources and supplies to support COVID-19 relief efforts around the world and donated media space to charity partners.

While watching the commercial, George Mpanga’s lines are what immediately caught my attention as he paints a beautiful picture with his rhymes and rhythm. He created a beautiful story that can relate to every single human being, no matter how different we all may be. He brings to light how so many people think that “school is dry”, but in the here and now, so many kids are yearning to go back to school and be on school grounds, playing on the playgrounds and learning in classrooms. Mpanga says “and I’ll learn my lesson from a bad memory, and I’ll keep social distance from bad energy.” This ties in especially well with the pandemic as the term ‘social distance’ has been widely used in limiting the spread of the Coronavirus. I have written a copy of ‘Open Like Never Before’ at the bottom of this article if you’d like to read it alongside the video.

This entrance back into the commercial world is a big one by Coca-Cola, and might I say, a perfect one. With fake news and a whirlwind of negative information being thrown at us, it’s refreshing to see a positive outlook on the situation at hand. Coca-Cola is pushing hard on how this wasn’t just another campaign. Instead, they’re saying that it’s an extension of their company’s purpose to ‘refresh’ the world and make a difference. And I honestly believe them. Through this commercial, I believe that there will be people that will change and make most of the moments they have and emerge from this pandemic stronger while creating a better shared future together. #openlikeneverbefore

‘OPEN LIKE NEVER BEFORE’ by George ‘The Poet’ Mpanga

Wait, stop.

Who said we have to go back to normal, back to anything?

What if the new normal ain’t the normal we knew?

And we can’t just do what we’d formerly do.

What if the big change is you and me

What if we choose to be open?

And say…

I will never call my job unimportant again.

What if I don’t wait for another crisis to embrace the love that I’ve missed?

I’ll never say that teacher’s holidays are too long or that school is dry and I can’t wait to move on.

My ears are not my earphones. What if I listen.

What if I’m missing how bright your eyes glisten.

(What if) I just smile a bit. Travel less and love every mile of it.

Believe in the change my cooking, my music can do.

And what if I don’t dance, but just for you I might give in to the rhythm soon.

What if I refuse to be a stranger in my own living room.

And I’ll learn my lesson from a bad memory,

and I’ll keep social distance from bad energy

And I’ll prove that funny beats sexy any day.

But I’m still cute, anyway.

What if my dreams never take the backseat again,

What if I’m there whenever you need a friend.

What if I celebrate my skin, my hair, my body, every day!

Even Mondays.

I won’t waste another minute without you.

I’ll read you the poems that I’ve written about you.

So many come to mind.

I’ll move forward, without leaving anyone behind.

I’ll lead, like a woman.

I’ll stand by every word I say

I’ll make my vote count, make my voice heard today.

I’ll never say this city has too many tourists again.

I’ll have a family of dozens.

Give my little nephews and nieces some cousins.

I’ll stay right beside you.

I’ll say Yes, Yes, Yes, I do.

I’ll never forget how much stronger we are together.

I’ll carry that in my heart forever.

We can weather the storm.

So I’ll be (humble, happy, brave