The real-life story behind that Coke ad in the Mad Men finale

Last night, Mad Men ended its run by implying that protagonist Don Draper had a hand in Coca-Cola's famed 1971 "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" ad, which posited that sharing a sugary beverage with friends was a shortcut to "the real thing":

Of course, the real-life ad didn't spring from the mind of Don Draper — but as it turns out, it did come from another alliterative McCann Erickson ad man: Bill Backer, the creative director for the firm's Coca-Cola account.

As Backer tells the story, the inspiration for the ad came during a business trip, when poor weather conditions forced his plane to land in Ireland. When he saw his fellow waylaid travelers relaxing and commiserating over bottles of soda, he came up with the kernel of what eventually became the "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" ad. "That was the basic idea: to see Coke not as it was originally designed to be — a liquid refresher — but as a tiny bit of commonality between all peoples, a universally liked formula that would help to keep them company for a few minutes," said Backer.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

For more on the ad's history — including its difficult shoot — click over to the official Coca-Cola website.