
It's been two months since that RC cola ad became a viral hit here in the Philippines.
The bizarre commercial had everyone talking and feeling baffled in an already confusing and strange year.
American talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was the latest person to fall into the ad's absurd humor.
The ad was featured last January 23 in the “Ellen and Twitch Guess What's Going to Happen Next in This Crazy Commercial” segment of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The segment plays parts of a commercial with Ellen and her sidekick DJ Twitch guessing what the next scenes would be.
For the soft drink ad, the video paused at the scene where the boy shows his back to reveal four glasses attached to it.
Ellen and DJ Twitch were presented with three options to guess what would happen next: a.) She Sings a high note and shatters the glass, b.) She takes off her head and pours soda into the cups, and c.) She takes off the scarf and parachutes out the window.
“I'm just gonna stick with C,” said Ellen.
“Uhhhh, I'm gonna say A,” a visibly confused DJ Twitch offered.
“I mean what is that commercial?” asked Ellen. “What's it for? Do we know?”
The clip then proceeded to show the weird scenes that unfolded next: the mother taking off her head to reveal a soda bottle then pours on the contents into the glasses. The family then takes a sip of the soda using straws.
“I was wondering how they were going to drink it, and that's how,” smiled Ellen.
The soft drink ad created a buzz when it was released in November of last year. Reactions from the public ranged from shock, confusion, laughter, and criticism.
Netizens quickly came up with their own assumptions, trying to dissect the ad's message and visuals in an effort to make sense of it.
Some compared the ad to commercials common in neighboring Asian countries where odd concepts are the norm.
In an interview with Preview.ph in November, Dionie Tañada from ad agency GIGIL said that the ad's goal was simply “to have fun.”
He added, “But seriously speaking, it's really coming from the Gen Z mentality na go lang nang go.
“We were looking for a personality we can own. While 'yung ibang brands they're into music marketing, taste test adventures, ano si RC Cola? So tinap namin 'yung humor, which is an area in the soft drink category na wala pa nagco-cover.”
Take a look back at some of the most memorable commercials of 2020.