Coke's 'America the Beautiful' pre-game Super Bowl ad was just as divisive the last time it aired (KO)

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February 6, 2017 3:32 AM

Coca-Cola has shelled out for two ads during the Super Bowl this year, but the spot it aired in the pre-game commercial break is likely to be the one that will get most people talking.

The "It's Beautiful" ad first ran during the 2014 Super Bowl pre-game commercial break.

The soda company aired a re-run of the spot it ran during the 2014 Super Bowl.

"It's Beautiful" sees a cast of diverse people singing "America The Beautiful," first in English, but also languages like Hindi, Arabic, and Tagalog. The ad is designed to portray the multi-cultural make-up of the US population.

The ad, created by Wieden + Kennedy, took on a certain poignance this year, given the current political climate.

Last time the spot aired, a bunch of people hated it, taking to social media to air their grievances against the brand — with some threatening to boycott the brand.

"One simply does NOT sing America the Beautiful in ANY language but English! Get on board or OUT!" one Facebook user posted to Coca-Cola's page at the time, which had been transformed into a wall of conservative protest. For a while, the hashtag #BoycottCoke trended on Twitter after the ad aired.

This time around, the spot looks to have been similarly divisive.

Some people have adopted the #BoycottCoke hashtag this time around too:

That said, as in 2014, it appears just as many people are applauding the brand for its ad:

We'll have more data about the share of voice between positive and negative reactions to the ad on social media as soon as it's available.

Coca-Cola is also airing two ads during the game itself — one for its portfolio of Coke brands and another for Sprite, both of which have previously aired on TV before.

Here's the Coca-Cola ad:

And this is Sprite's first Super Bowl ad:

More to follow

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