In 2006, Coca-Cola launched a 100-second-long ad with visuals by Japanese artist Nagi Noda and original music by Jack White. Noda had done several ad campaigns already, and her kitschy, pop-art-style work backed by White’s eclectic and familiar sound seems like a commercial no-brainer.
But Coca-Cola aired the ad only once in its full length, and only on the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 at 1:55 in the morning. A 30-second version was aired during an MTV awards show in Australia, and bootleg recordings circulated for a time. Shortly after, the soda brand announced the full-length showing in April. After that, the ad was never shown again for reasons that are allegedly still unknown.
It could be that Coca-Cola didn’t want to be overshadowed by the World Cup, which was going on around that time. The brand’s U.K. advertising during the tournament kicked off in May. It also had a new global campaign set for the end of that summer. Possibly, this ad was just a one-off. But in that case, why hire two high-profile creatives like Jack White and Nagi Noda if the ad is just going to be swept under the rug?
Jack White drew scorn from Noel Gallagher for ‘Selling Out’ to Coca-Cola
While the ad’s disappearance at the time remains baffling, it resurfaced much later. In 2016, Jack White officially released the song he wrote for the ad. Titled “Love is the Truth”, it appeared on the compilation album Jack White Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016.
The year before, news broke that White was writing an original song for a commercial. At the time, the decision drew criticism from others in the music industry. Noel Gallagher, specifically, accused him of selling out. He said, “[Jack White’s] supposed to be the poster boy for the alternative way of thinking … That’s f***ing wrong.”
Of course, the following February, Oasis made a deal with AT&T, and the company used their track “All Around the World” in a U.S. ad campaign.
The way White described it later on his website, he “saw this as an opportunity to record an inspirational song that could reach a worldwide audience in a big way.”
Visually, the video is full of 60s-inspired kitschy charm, with bright primary colors and solid design. It follows a girl who, while distraught at losing her pet bird, does something kind for a stranger. That singular act creates a ripple effect through the neighborhood. More people begin helping each other with simple things, the visuals multiplying to show the impact. Eventually, the girl’s kindness circles back, and her bird is returned to her.
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