'Mad Men' Finale: The Story Behind the Coke Ad

Summary

In the grand finale of the popular series, Mad Men, the iconic 1971 Coca-Cola ad takes center stage as it ties up the narrative of the show. The Wall Street Journal's John Jurgenson discusses his thoughts on the finale, noting that while it tied things up nicely, some might find it a bit too neat. The ad was originally created by Bill Backer of McCann Erickson, inspired by a personal experience, which exemplifies the blend of real-life advertising and the show's fictional storyline. The choice of this ad for the finale evokes discussions on consumer culture and marketing's impact on art. Despite mixed reactions, the conclusive nature of the finale provides the closure many fans seek, differentiating it from the open-ended conclusion of The Sopranos.

Highlights

• John Jurgenson found the finale satisfying, despite its neat conclusion. 🎬
• The real creator of the Coke ad was Bill Backer, providing depth to the series' storyline. 🕵️‍♂️
• The blend of real-world advertising and fictional narrative enhances discussions on consumer culture. 💭
• The decisive ending of Mad Men provides closure, contrasting with The Sopranos' ambiguous finale. ✨
• The interaction between real ads and the show's narrative highlights the power of marketing in storytelling. 📖

Key Takeaways

• Mad Men finale features the iconic 1971 Coca-Cola ad, giving a nod to the art of advertising. 📺
• The ad was actually conceived by Bill Backer, adding a real-world connection to the narrative. 🌎
• The show's use of a real-life ad in its conclusion sparks discussions on marketing's influence on art. 🎨
• Despite the finale's divisive reception, its conclusive end offers closure to the series. 🔚
• The choice to feature a well-known ad highlights the show's continued blend of fiction and reality. 🎭

Overview

The 'Mad Men' finale was marked by the appearance of the iconic 1971 Coca-Cola ad, creating a captivating conclusion for the acclaimed series. The Wall Street Journal’s John Jurgenson shared his views, finding the finale immensely satisfying due to its cohesive ending that tied up long-running storylines. However, the neatness of the conclusion sparked debate among fans who were used to the show’s open-ended narratives.

Behind the reel lies the history of the famous Coke ad, originally dreamt up by Bill Backer, an account executive at McCann Erickson. Backer's concept stemmed from a personal experience during a delayed flight, which led to the ad that symbolized unity and harmony among people. Choosing this ad for the 'Mad Men' finale highlights the show's intertwining of real-life events with its fictional world, offering a commentary on the intersection of advertising, art, and consumer culture.

While the finale received mixed reviews, with some finding it corny, its definitive ending provided closure, a stark contrast to the ambiguous conclusion of The Sopranos. The use of a real, beloved advertisement emphasizes 'Mad Men's' ongoing theme of blending reality with fiction, drawing attention to the powerful impact that marketing and storytelling have in shaping culture and art.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Coke Ad Clip and Mad Men's Closing Scene The chapter discusses the iconic 1971 Coca-Cola advertisement, renowned as one of the most famous advertising campaigns in history. It highlights how this ad was used as the closing image for the television series Mad Men, which concluded with its seventh season. The discussion includes insights from W J reporter John Jurgenson about both the Mad Men finale and the significance of the Coke ad.
• 00:30 - 01:30: John Jurgenson's Take on the Finale John Jurgenson shares his thoughts on the finale of a show. He found it extremely satisfying because it made total sense, particularly highlighting how the character Don Draper, in a moment of inspiration, created the iconic Coca-Cola ad. Jurgenson comments that the ending was well-crafted, perhaps too well, considering the unpredictable nature of 'Mad Men.'
• 01:30 - 03:00: Reality vs Fiction in Ad Creation This chapter contrasts reality with fiction in the context of creating advertisements. The discussion focuses on the finale of the television series Mad Men, highlighting how real-life ad campaigns, like those from Lucky Strike and Volkswagen, are referenced. It delves into the creative liberties taken by the series, particularly in suggesting that the character Don Draper was behind a famous ad campaign, sparking interest in the true origins behind these iconic ads.
• 03:00 - 05:00: Meta Advertising Discussion The chapter discusses the story behind a famous advertisement credited to Bill Backer, an account executive at McCann Erickson, an agency also featured in the TV series Mad Men. The inspiration for the ad came from an experience in 1971 when Backer, on a delayed flight to London, observed passengers' attitudes changing from anger to camaraderie.
• 05:00 - 07:30: Public Reaction and Comparison to The Sopranos The chapter discusses how the Coca-Cola ad, which became iconic for bringing people together through a simple beverage, mirrors the community-building seen in shows like The Sopranos. It narrates the background of the Coke ad as an idea stemming from the notion of uniting people from different backgrounds, and how this concept translated into a successful commercial, drawing a parallel to the cultural impact of The Sopranos.

'Mad Men' Finale: The Story Behind the Coke Ad Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 and that's a clip from the iconic 1971 Coca-Cola ad one of the most famous advertising campaigns in history it is also the closing image of Madmen which ended its seventh and last season Sunday here to discuss the finale and that Coke ad is w J reporter John jurgenson John
• 00:30 - 01:00 thanks so much for joining us thank you so John first let's start with did you find the finale satisfying I found it extremely satisfying in that the finale made total sense uh spoiler alert of course that uh Don Draper apparently uh in a moment of inspiration dreamed up what would become the iconic Coca-Cola ad um so it all kind of got pieced together I almost felt that maybe it made a little too much sense considering the way that Mad
• 01:00 - 01:30 Men is often uh leaving meetings open and uh story lines uh dangling um so it almost made a little bit too much sense but hey finales can never be perfect for everybody that there you go all right now Mad Men has referenced real life ad campaigns in the past such as those from Lucky Strike and Volkswagen the finale ends with the suggestion as you said that Don Draper is the guy behind the famous cat campaign so who was really behind this ad yeah really interesting for uh for Mad Men to kind of take
• 01:30 - 02:00 credit for an ad that has a real story behind it uh the guy the guy who's responsible for this ad or was credited for is a guy named Bill backer who was an account executive at uh MC Ericson which is also featured in Mad Men as well the the agency is um and he had the inspiration for this ad in SE 71 as you say when he was flying into uh supposedly going into London got delayed on an airline trip saw lots of angry passengers and then the next day noticed these very same passengers kind of
• 02:00 - 02:30 communing over drinks uh and specifically Coca-Cola or so the story goes and had this idea about Coke bringing the world together uh people from different backgrounds kind of uniting in this real thing uh beverage so from there the uh the the song came out of it first and then the the video or the the commercial was shot and turned out to be a Smash Hit and went down to be you know one of the most iconic ads in history now this is a little meta for me because here we are you know a story about an ad that coke
• 02:30 - 03:00 actually didn't pay for right I mean this is sort of free advertising for coke uh correct yeah I I can't believe that there would be any sort of transaction involved and I I reached out to the studio behind Madmen to find out if we can get any more details about you know whether Coke got a heads up or McAn got a heads up about how they were using this and so far I haven't heard back uh but it is uh it is really interesting that Matthew Wier the creator of the show would choose a real life ad uh to have the last word on this show that he created you know from his own imagination so this blending of real
• 03:00 - 03:30 world uh and and fictional storyline says a lot about kind of the force of marketing and and consumer culture in our world and it really kind of bleeds into art as well yeah you can't lose yourself on a commune in Northern California because you know you're going to find a way to commercialize that all right now Twitter did light up last night following the finale's closing image do you think that this finale is going to be as divisive as The Sopranos or do you think people will uh embrace it uh divisive is is inevitable and and
• 03:30 - 04:00 as you said it already is turned out to be divisive a lot of people thought it was you know somewhat corny there were other elements uh you know characters who getting together or moving apart from each other that people found maybe a little bit forced perhaps but you know this is a long this is a long running show and these characters uh kind of earned what they've got here in in the show uh it's not going to be as devic as Sopranos I think because it is an ending and a firm ending and that does kind of tie things up in a in a bow so I think people love closure um and whether or
• 04:00 - 04:30 not they like the way it closed is going to be another matter but there's certainly a decisive ending to this story and I think that's what people a lot a lot of people hunger for really unlike The Sopranos which was what happened right it certainly was an ending at the ending of an era all right thank you so much John for that my pleasure