Coke to launch ad campaign stressing real-life situations

ATLANTA (AP) -- One spot has Penelope Cruz stroll into a restaurant, chug a Coke and then burp. Another shows Courteney Cox using an ice pick to prepare a glass of Coke for husband David Arquette as he plays pinball in their living room.
The real-life settings are part of a new marketing and advertisement campaign focusing on realism that Coca-Cola is launching Monday targeting young adults.
"It's not about putting a mirror against this group; it's about talking to them at a deeper level," chief creative officer Esther Lee said Thursday.
"No one's going to slam back a Coke in a way that seems forced or staged. They may slam back a Coke, but it has to feel real."
A spokesman for Coke's main rival, Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi, did not immediately return a call Thursday seeking comment.
The ads also will feature NASCAR drivers, basketball sportscasters, R & amp;B artists and young people at school or at home playing video games -- all while drinking Coke.
Singers featured
One ad features R & amp;B singer Mya and hip-hop artist Common. They sing a remake of the '60s song "Real Compared to What."
During the ad, the shot cuts away several times to show situations that celebrities might meet: an overzealous agent pushing action figures, paparazzi at a red carpet event, an elaborate photo shoot, or a glitzy garden party. It ends with the tag, "Feel ... Real ... Coca-Cola."
The campaign will feature more than a dozen ads that will air throughout the year. The first will be shown at the American Music Awards, airing Monday on ABC from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Ads also will air during television shows popular among young adults, including "American Idol," "Survivor," "The Bachelorette" and "Dawson's Creek."