New Coke Zero Ad a Miss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnjoBc_MRPc

I truly hate having to criticize my "lovemark," however, this ad was a real mishap and came off incredibly unclear. After viewing this ad - all I could gather from it is the word "and." Now this could be a good thing depending on the objectives at hand from the Coke advertising committee. Though the ad really left me saying "what??" after it was over - it was not mistaken that Coke Zero is the classic Coca-Cola flavor, and zero calories. I have a feeling that was what Coke was shooting for, and in that regard it did work to their objective.

However, there had to be a better way to convey this message without confusing the audience so much. I observed others watch this commercial and they seemed stunned that such an advertisement came from Coca-Cola. Though the typical audience probably doesn't realize that they are now completely informed about Coke Zero's zero calorie formula - it has raised negative discussion about the brand because of the commercial.

There should be a tradeoff, between negative hype and whether objectives were meant. I feel Coke did what they wanted to get accomplished in this ad, but at the risk of critical remarks and commentary both within viewings by families, or discussion around the water cooler at work. Coke could have cleared this up - or come up with a more concise and clear way to address their point.