{"id":2756,"date":"2021-09-20T15:56:49","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T10:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlykutts.com\/?p=2756"},"modified":"2021-09-20T15:56:49","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T10:26:49","slug":"iconic-ads-7-up-uncola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlykutts.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/20\/iconic-ads-7-up-uncola\/","title":{"rendered":"Iconic Ads: 7 Up – Uncola"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 1967, few were drinking 7-Up. The beverage was generally thought of as a mixer or a tonic for an upset stomach. 7-Up Company executives were eager to tap into a larger market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since they were on the point of bankruptcy, the corporation had no choice but to try something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They intended to rebrand its product as a soft drink, like Pepsi or Coca-Cola. And J. Walter Thompson came on board..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In America, the late 1960s were a trying time. The Vietnam War and the civil rights movement split the country. Disillusioned young people were forming a strong anti-war, anti-racial segregation, and anti-violence counter-culture. The “Summer of Love” was a period in 1967 when hippies converged in many cities with the hopes of sparking \u201ca renaissance of compassion, awareness, and love, and the revelation of unity for all mankind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7Up decided to go after the youth market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Un’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Leveraging this \u2018anti\u2019 energy Charlie Martell at JWT created the word \u201cUncola\u201d around which the campaign was created. It was the oppositional beverage: the “Uncola. Rather than emphasizing the similarities between the soda and its competitors, the advertising emphasized the distinctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They concentrated on puns based on the word “Un”. JWT cleverly positioned 7-Up as an alternative brand for alternative individuals by depicting Coke and Pepsi as “the Establishment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading the creative team was Bill Ross along with Ed George, Bob Taylor and Bill Bosworth and of course Martell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outdoor Focussed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a part of the campaign,  JWT held a contest in which artists were invited to submit outrageously inventive concepts for 7-Up advertisements. The client was shown the submissions and chose the final photographs. The winner received a $2000 prize and the chance to collaborate with JWT on final versions. JWT and the Seven-Up company created a campaign of colorful roadside billboards with psychedelic graphics as a result of the competition. In 1969, highways across the country were adorned with art by young graphic designers such as Pat Dypold, Ed Georges, and Milton Glaser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n