I'd like to teach the world to sing . . .

About 5,000 years ago, when I was but a lad, Coca-Cola produced an ad campaign based on a song/jingle: "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." The kids from around the world sang, "I'd like to buy the world a Coke . . .". The ad and campaign was -- apparently -- very successful.

The Coca-Cola Company advised the world yesterday that in Great Britain (for now anyway) it would again like to teach the world to sing -- or at least give it the music to sing over. Instead of buying the world a Coke, Brits will be able to buy the world a song from Coca-Cola, who, as Wired reports, will enter the paid music download business.

What exactly are the limits of brand, core competence, etc., etc., etc., in a new communications, information, commercial, and social paradigm such as the Internet? Does it just take some cojones to (attempt to) reinvent for fun and profit? Is it the ultimate opportunity to salvage one's corporate self from stagnation or yesterday's position? Infinite success is non-linear, and sometimes finite success has to be abandoned . . .

Posted by Grayson at December 9, 2003 09:03 AM