Exclusive: Why Spike Lee made a spate of NYC-inspired Vitaminwater ads for Coca-Cola

To bring this vision to life, Vitaminwater’s parent company, Coca-Cola, and its dedicated WPP agency, Open X, enlisted the award-winning filmmaker and New York icon Spike Lee, known for classics like Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992), to direct the campaign.

“Directing the ‘Vitaminwater from New York’ ad campaign was an exciting opportunity, given that I grew up in the city and it’s shaped my creative experience in countless ways,” says Lee. “Since Vitaminwater is also from New York, it has been a lot of fun exploring how the brand injects a daily dose of vibrancy into people’s lives, much like the iconic city.“

The 30-second hero spot captures the beauty of everyday New York from the perspective of a local – from the corner bodega to the late-night food truck, the neighborhood pizza joint to the backseat of a yellow cab and even a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a celebration of the city’s quintessential settings where Vitaminwater feels right at home.

The campaign also includes a series of cutdowns, including ‘Bodega,’ ‘Work Hard Play Hard,’ ‘Pizza,’ ‘Walk Up’ and ‘Brooklyn Bridge,’ which each showcase how Vitaminwater can fit seamlessly into everyday New York moments – from stopping by a food truck after a long night out, to trudging up six flights of stairs on grocery day to traipsing along the storied Brooklyn Bridge.

Creators at Coca-Cola were thrilled to have Lee onboard. Luke Perkins, group director of creative strategy at the Coca-Cola Company, expresses his excitement about working with Lee, noting how the acclaimed director’s authentic New York perspective enhanced every aspect of the project.

“When we were approving scripts with [Open X], they told me that they were going to reach out to a couple of directors and one of them was Spike Lee,” Perkins tells The Drum. “Truthfully, I laughed. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, right. Go get Robert De Niro, too, while you’re at it.’ I think it’s a testament to the power of the idea that Spike Lee immediately said, ‘Yes, let’s do this.’”

Perkins notes that Lee infused the project with his distinctive visual style and storytelling techniques, using his deep connection to New York City to handle every detail – from casting and acting to locations and wardrobe.

“Aside from being a great director, he had a top-notch, hardworking crew that trusts him, and he trusts them,” he says. “When he spoke, and he spoke often, everybody was tuned in to exactly what he was looking for, down to the tiniest details. He also knew the perfect locations to shoot at, from the corner bodega to the Brooklyn Bridge, which I never would have thought of.”

To help bring the full story to life, Lee also hand-selected three “young and talented“ graduate students that he teaches at New York University (NYU), whose own short films “reflect New York’s energy, color and taste.“

These films are ‘Energy of New York’ by Joshua Reed, ‘Color of New York’ by Kaitlyn Busbee and ‘Taste of New York’ by Joecar Hanna.

Reed’s ‘Energy of New York’ follows a young New Yorker exploring the city with her camcorder, capturing friends in various settings and asking, “What gives you energy?”– hinting at Vitaminwater’s role in daily moments.

Busbee’s ‘Color of New York’ blends fictional narrative with documentary footage, transitioning from black and white to full color as Vitaminwater interacts with sidewalk art.

Hanna’s ‘Taste of New York,’ meanwhile, tells the story of an immigrant family’s ice-cream shop, which evolves with new flavors inspired by iconic New York food staples.

For Lee, the student films help strengthen the associations between the brand and its place of origin.

“I’m thrilled to see how this content showcases the many flavors of NYC in a way that’s uniquely authentic to Vitaminwater,” the director says.

Each of the student films, which are being promoted across Vitaminwater’s social channels, reflects the distinctiveness of the brand, Perkins suggests.

“Vitaminwater, for me, is a brand with such a rich history and DNA; it kind of lives on the edge, and quite honestly, it lives a little bit on the outside of the entire Coca-Cola brand portfolio,” he explains. “We created this enhanced water space and we continue to plant our firm foot and own this category. So, it’s really important to have that kind of edge to the work as well.”

In Perkins’s view, this campaign imbues new life to the nearly 20-year-old brand. “Vitaminwater has always been there on the shelf; it’s always bold and beautiful, and we just wanted to get it out in front of people once again, with a really strong point of view,” he adds.

Looking ahead, Perkins says the brand will continue to push creative boundaries. The TV commercial launched last month and an out-of-home campaign featuring customized assets for various locations will roll out in New York this August.

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