Coca-Cola's "Grand Theft Auto" Super Bowl Advertisement

Whereas many commercials in Super Bowl pasts have relied on humor to send their messages, Coca-Cola has done something different.

In order to target a specific group of people, in their first advertisement aired during the big game, the company played off a popular video game, Grand Theft Auto.

The video game is primarily centered on the driver (you) wreaking as much havoc as you possibly can in order to rack up points. The idea of game play is to take on the role of a criminal in a big city. With a large variety of editions released, players can take their pick of a number of cities, based on which edition they decide to play.

The original in this genre of video game, many other companies have capitalized on the success of Grand Theft Auto and created similar games.

This year, Coca-Cola has made a brilliant decision, as Guinness might say, in highlighting such a popular game. In Coke's spin of Grand Theft Auto, however, the driver does good.

To introduce the idea of Grand Theft Auto, if the set design didn't previously do that for you, even though the driver does not actually commit any crime, his demeanor and the other characters' attitudes toward him display a sense of fear.

This doesn't stop him from spreading his Coca-Cola joy, though. The commercial opens with our main character walking into a convenience store and buying himself a Coke. Upon leaving the store, it seems as though he will steal the car of an innocent bystander. Instead, he passes on another Coke to this second driver.

The commercial continues in this way - our main character overcomes suspicion every time. At the close of the commercial, he walks past two homeless men holding signs which read, "The End is Near." As he passes them, they turn around and their signs now say, "Give a Little Love."

Overall, Coca-Cola did well in this advertisement. Their decision to capitalize upon the success of a video game in order to target that specific age group is important to note.

If you would like to view the commercial for yourself, view it here: