8 Comments
User's avatar
Pop Cultural Precursors's avatar

I have been marinating in tech news all morning, and initially misread this. "Huh, I didn't know Coke did a commercial with 'weird A.I.' in the 80s, they were really ahead of their time."

Expand full comment
Retroist's avatar

Ha! I think if they could have, they would have references it into one these commercials. I hadn't though about it, but technology is surprisingly absent from this entire series of advertising. I would guess if it had been 2 or 3 years earlier, we would have gotten a brief scene in an arcade.

Expand full comment
Pop Cultural Precursors's avatar

Maybe they were avoiding tech references to keep their powder dry for the Max headroom ads the following year...

Expand full comment
Vinvectrex's avatar

Great ad. I didn't know Kim Carnes had so many hits!

Expand full comment
Portraits of Excellence's avatar

OMG, I'm pretty sure this is the commercial that made me beg my parents for a unicycle from the Sears catalog. I swore it would be the only Christmas present I ever wanted for forever. lol

Expand full comment
Retroist's avatar

That is so great! Its such a short shot, but it's just the type of thing that a kid would spot and fixate on.

Expand full comment
Sheila (of Ephemera)'s avatar

Oh, man, that commercial takes me back! I didn’t think Kim Carnes had any hits other than “Bette Davis Eyes”!

Really fun article, thanks so much!

Expand full comment
David Perlmutter's avatar

"Coca-Cola owned the studio behind Ghostbusters, Columbia Pictures."

At the time, yes. They sold it to Sony at the end of the decade.

Expand full comment