Social media is evolving. Are you adapting? Connect with a community of brand pros and content creators at Social Media Week, May 12–14 in NYC, to learn how to keep pace with new trends and technology. Register now to save 20% on your pass.
In the hustle of modern life, even the smallest pauses can make a difference, according to Diet Coke’s new campaign featuring comedian Kristen Wiig.
Launching today (March 11), “Know The Signs” encourages harried millennials to recharge with a Diet Coke break. Through a series of vignettes—missed lunch breaks, workplace frustrations, and fleeting moments of self-care—the brand highlights how a simple sip can serve as a refreshing reset, according to Sue Lynne Cha, vice-president of marketing for Coca-Cola North America at The Coca-Cola Company.
“We’re reminding people that self-care doesn’t have to be complicated,” Cha told ADWEEK.
Wiig, who provides the voiceover, follows in a long line of women who previously starred as brand ambassadors for Diet Coke, from Elle Macpherson, Candice Bergen, and Whitney Houston to Taylor Swift and Kate Moss.
The former Saturday Night Life (SNL) comedian, who last year also appeared in commercials for Dunkin’ and Target, was a natural fit for Diet Coke’s “confident” and “witty” brand, said Cha.
“We wanted to have a little bit of a humorous tone to this,” Cha added.
Back to the ‘90s
“Know The Signs” echoes Diet Coke’s advertising from the 1990s, when the brand “was all about the Diet Coke break,” Cha said. “[These ads] are a very strong nod to what made the brand what it is today.”
The original “Diet Coke Break” campaign ran from 1994 to 2013 and famously swapped the stereotypical gender roles depicted in advertising. The spots followed women in the workplace taking a break to check out male construction workers, window washers, and a gardener or two. The soundtrack, “I Just Want to Make Love to You” by Etta James, peaked at number five on the U.K. singles chart in 1996.
The new ads reflect the modern workplace by featuring remote workers, video calls, and email mishaps (a guy relatably calling his boss’s boss “Tuna” rather than “Tina” over email).