Elvis Presley’s “A Little More Action.” in Japanese Coca-Cola Commercial

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Coca Cola launched an aggressive new ad campaign in Japan for its “Georgia” brand canned coffee in an effort to attract younger male customers and add pep to flat sales. Canned coffee is a huge money-maker in the country and a longtime favorite drink among salarymen – mostly white collar males - looking for a caffeine boost as they maneuver rigorous corporate schedules.

The new slogan “Sorry, I am a Man,” is meant to convey with humor, coolness, and a little sweetness, that “boys will be boys.” A television ad shows attractive Japanese men drinking coffee in a can and being, well, men. They are shown in the boxing ring, on skateboards, wind sailing and nervously catching the eye of a pretty girl. Most every scene includes at least one attractive woman. In one scene a group of young school boys watches wide-eyed as the lovely school nurse tends to one of their own. The ad is accompanied by a cool-injecting song - Elvis Presley’s “A Little More Action.”

Coke says sales of Georgia coffee, launched in 1985, have been flat, and the average age of buyers has moved into the mid-40s. Coca-Cola Japan President Daniel Sayre said at a news conference Tuesday that No. 1-ranked Georgia, which has a 34 percent share of a 700 billion yen a year market, has fierce competitors. The coffee market is so big in Japan, and so lucrative, many companies want a piece of the action – not unlike the men in the ad.

The ad will, Coke officials hope, put some pep in the step of Japan’s young males who have come to age during what has been about 20-year lackluster economy-- and entice them to buy more coffee. The Coke commercial is now airing on Japanese television.

_{Source; Atlanta Journal / Youtube / EpGold}