510. She Taught the World to Sing: NORA AUNOR , Philippine Superstar, (b. 21 May 1953-d. 16 Apr. 2025)

316. She Likes To Teach the World to Sing: SUPERSTAR NORA AUNOR FOR COKE, 1972

One of Coca-Cola’s most globally successful and popular advertising campaign was launched in 1971, conceived by McCann-Erickson executive Bill Backer. While in an airport in Ireland waiting for his next flight, he saw people in a huddle, chatting and laughing while having their Cokes. Inspired by the sight, he wrote “I’d like to buy the world a Coke..” on a table napkin. He discussed the lyrics with songwriter Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, who set the words to a tune that they had used before for a song “True Love and Apple Pie” and ha the folk group the New Seekers record it as a Coke radio jingle.

THE NEW SEEKERS' VERSION "I'd Like to Teach The World to Sing"

THE HILLSIDE SINGERS COKE VERSION:

The jingle became a monster hit for the New Seekers (it reached the Billboard Top 15) that a TV commercial was produced entitled “Hilltop” . The band couldn’t make it to the shoot so a new group, The Hillside Singers,  were tapped to sing the Coke version of the song. 

WATCH "I'D LIKE TO BUY THE WORLD A COKE" TV HERE:

The commercial featured a group of  young people from all walks of life, coming together on a hilltop, while holding their Coke and singing to this new version  of  “‘I’d Like To Teach the World to Sing  (In Perfect Harmony). The Hillside Singers earned a Gold Record award from the Recording Industry Association of America. In addition to creating chart-busting records, the Coca Cola campaign went down in history as one of the greatest marketing campaigns of all time.

 NORA AUNOR VERSION "I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing"

The ‘Hilltop’ campaign was aired in the Philippines, but a local adaptation of the campaign was done by McCann Erickson in 1972 featuring superstar Nora Aunor no less--then at the pinnacle of her career. 

She did a full-tri media campaign, supported by sales promotions (Coke gave away autographed pictures of Guy and her Coke), and music marketing on radio via a full song recording of the hit jingle “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”, that was included in one of her long-playing albums under Alpha Records. 

Of course, three years later, she was singing a different tune. Coke was no longer it for Guy—she was having her Pepsi Day!

 

SOURCES:

https://www.wideopencountry.com/, 'I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing': The Story Behind the Classic Coca-Cola Jingle,

Youtube: “ The New Seekers - I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing 1972 with Lyrics”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWKznrEjJK4, uploaded by islander8

Youtube: Hilltop Remastered, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2406n8_rUw, uploaded by the Coca Cola Company, 4 April 2016. 

Youtube: “I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (1972) by Nora Aunor (HD)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VJ3hz-nXCQ, uploaded by Edgar Ebro Videokeking2018 on 5 June 2019.

Hillside Singers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASe7ioPis6I, Uploaded by Lorri Hafer, 7 Aug. 2015

The Hillside Singers, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hillside_Singers

79. It's The Real Thing: NORA AUNOR Had a Pepsi Day!

In 1971, Nora Aunor’s star was on the rise.  The former Tawag ng Tanghalan champion turned teen actress, then just 18, was the toast of Philippine showbiz, with blockbuster movies and sold-soul records to her name.  Small and dark, she defied conventions to become a sort of a Philippine Cinderella, thus she drew widespread,  adoration and support  from her hordes of fans, mostly coming from the so-called “bakya” crowd.

Coca Cola was the first high-profile company that recognized her pulling power, so Coke offered her a lucrative endorsement contract, which allowed her to appear in the local adaptation of their global campaign with the slogan—“It’s The Real Thing”, first conceived in 1968.

Aunor did a TV commercial, and got a chance to sing the popular commercial jingle, too. She did full color magazine print ad spreads and her image appeared on merchandising materials. Fan photos of her—showing Aunor holding a bottle of Coke—were given out as sales promotion premiums.

Four years after her Coke endorsement, the soft drink rival, Pepsi Cola, did the unthinkable---the company enlisted her to promote Pepsi, the country’s then-best selling cola---in their “Have A Pepsi Day” campaign.

Aunor’s Coke appearance in the massive campaign was still fresh in the recent  memories of consumers. Aunor’s “turncoat-ism” was the talk of the industry, as such a move often undermined the credibility of the endorser. Her TV starts with Aunor defining what her Pepsi Day is—no film shootings, no recordings,  with lots of personal time, with bottles of Pepsi to refresh her.

To complete the casting coup, Aunor’s love team partner—Tirso Cruz III—was also signed up by Pepsi and did his own Pepsi Day ad. Of course, the Guy and Pip tandem had their own love team version too!

Today, of course, companies have less qualms about using the same talent or celebrity that once endorsed a product directly competitive to theirs. Sharon Cuneta has appeared in both McDonald’s and Jollibee ads. Carmina Villaroel  was in Nido and Lactum Milk commercials. And Maricel Soriano was a Modess endorser, then switched to Whisper pads. The shift in loyalty could be explained that since the endorser is now older, then he/she is also presumed to have grown much wiser, leading to smarter product decisions.  And advertisers leave it to the more educated today’s  consumer to discern that.