Coca Cola denies copying Yotvata in Super Bowl ad

A Coca-Cola spokeswoman told "Advertising Age" that any similarities to the Yotvata Dairy ad were coincidental.

A week after the Super Bowl, Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is responding to allegations in creative community that an ad aired during the football game was remarkably similar from an old ad by Yotvata Dairy for its chocolate milk. "Advertising Age" says, "The beverage giant has firmly denied it copied the commercial, saying any similarities are purely a coincidence."

"Advertising Age" quotes Coca-Cola spokeswoman Susan Stribling as saying, "When we created the Coca-Cola 'Sleepwalker' commercial, we and our agency were unaware of this other ad. Now that we've seen the ad, we think both commercials are equally entertaining. While the two share a few common elements, any similarities are coincidental and unintended."

As for the theme music of Ravel's "Bolero" in both ads, Stribling said that the use of the same song in the ad is an "interesting coincidence" but the selection of the tune for "Sleepwalker" is "consistent with how we've chosen music for ads we've aired during the Super Bowl for the past three years."

"Advertising Age" adds that Yotvata Dairy does not appear to have officially complained to anyone. Yotvata's ad from 2002 was created by Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Young & Rubicam.

Israeli analysts on local news coverage essentially said that the near-imitation could be considered flattery by Israel's marketing industry.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 14, 2010

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2010

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