Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy

Student Coca-Cola Commercial Goes Viral

Tuesday, June 23, 2015, By Keith Kobland
Share
video
This image is from a commercial for Coke that was produced in part by Luke Rafferty '15.

This image is from a commercial for Coke that was produced in part by Luke Rafferty ’16.

Somewhere in Central Kansas, in the middle of a field a few miles off I-70, sits a newly restored barn.

That’s not unusual, considering this is farm country and barns dot the landscape as far as the eye can see. But this barn is different. How it got that way and what took place there, are both a slice of Americana and the story of a lifetime for Luke Rafferty ’16. Rafferty, a student in multimedia photography and design at the Newhouse School and a Remembrance Scholar for the 2015-16 academic year, used the barn as the backdrop for a commercial he produced along with his longtime friend Zach Lowry.

“We set out to create a story about quality, hard work and dreams,” says Rafferty. “We wound up living one.”

Luke Rafferty '15, left, supervises video production for the Coke commercial he produced with his friend Zach Lowry.

Luke Rafferty ’16, left, supervises video production for the Coke commercial he produced with his friend Zach Lowry.

The story got its start in the summer of 2014, when Rafferty and Lowry decided they wanted to take their small video production company to the next level, to “get their name out there,” according to Rafferty. The pair wanted to do something both hardy and American, and decided to create a commercial for Coca-Cola, with the commercial taking place in a Midwestern barn. “After all,” he adds, “what’s more hardy and American than the Coke brand and the Midwest?”

Rafferty and Lowry went about the task of locating the perfect barn, looking on places like Google Earth and Pinterest. The process was moving slowly. So one night, Rafferty decided to load up the car in Syracuse, and along with his mom (“she’s always down for a road trip,” says Rafferty) they took off for Illinois. They departed at 7 p.m. on a Wednesday, drove all night, and arrived at 9 a.m. the next day, at which point Luke began the process of locating farms. “Some told me to get lost,” he says, “but others were more welcoming.”

The problem was, Rafferty still wasn’t finding the right fit. On his way back home, he received word from Lowry about an email from the head of the Kansas Barn Alliance, offering help. The call for action drew thousands of responses, including one from Kevin Kirkwood, a man whom Rafferty describes as “someone with the vision to realize the drive and ambition of two college students.”

Luke Rafferty '15, along with Kevin Kirkwood (center) and Zach Lowry (right).

Luke Rafferty  with barn owner Kevin Kirkwood, center, and Zach Lowry, right.

From there, the project moved quickly. Kirkwood located a barn in Chapman, Kan., population 1,394. The barn was perfect for the production. Kirkwood contacted the owner, who gave his blessing, but with one caveat: the barn was scheduled for demolition, and the commercial shoot would have to take place  quickly. Kirkwood quickly assembled a team of helpers (many of them high school friends) that put in 500 man hours to make sure everything looked just right. From there, the video production fell into place.

The commercial tells the story of a grandfather and his grandson who work together restoring an old Ford Mustang found inside the barn, and sharing a Coke while they complete the work. The fruits of their labor can be seen below. But Rafferty says the experience alone was incredibly rewarding, including the warmth of an entire town that embraced the project, even holding a welcome party for the two young men long before the first frame of video was shot.

COCA COLA: QUALITY CARRIES ON from Flex Collective on Vimeo.

While Coke declined to use the commercial on air, the video itself is going viral, with 60,000 views in just one week since it was posted. Rafferty says one reason he believes the video is so popular is because it tells a story. He credits Newhouse Associate Professor Bruce Strong (chair of the multimedia photography and design program) with teaching him the importance of telling a story when approaching a project like this. “It’s what separates something that’s good,” says Rafferty, “from something that’s amazing. The story of our humble production in Kansas last year is one that we will cherish forever.”

As for the barn? It’s staying put. Rafferty says when the owner saw how much restoration work was taking place, he decided he couldn’t go ahead with demolition. If you ever travel to Chapman, Kan., keep an eye out for it. It’s a piece of Americana that will live on, much like Rafferty’s video.

  • Author

Keith Kobland

  • Recent
  • Drama Department to Virtually Present New Theatrical Work Inspired by University’s 150th Anniversary
    Saturday, January 23, 2021, By Erica Blust
  • Professor Rahman Awarded Google Grant to Engage Underrepresented Students in Computing Research
    Saturday, January 23, 2021, By Alex Dunbar
  • Special Collections Research Center Launches Latin American 45s Digital Collection
    Saturday, January 23, 2021, By Cristina Hatem
  • VPA Faculty to Present World Premieres at Society for New Music Concert Jan. 31
    Saturday, January 23, 2021, By News Staff
  • ‘Democracy on Trial: Can We Save It?’
    Friday, January 22, 2021, By News Staff

More In Media, Law & Policy

‘Democracy on Trial: Can We Save It?’

James Roger Sharp, professor emeritus of history in the Maxwell School, wrote an op-ed for Syracuse.com titled “Democracy on trial: Can we save it?” Sharp is an expert in American political history, having researched and written extensively about the history…

Future of News Production the Focus of NSF Planning Grant

Two researchers from Syracuse University are part of a team that received a $130,000 planning grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier. The project, “Planning to study automation and the future of news…

College of Law Adds Vincent H. Cohen ’92, L’95 to Board of Advisors

Syracuse University College of Law is pleased to announce the addition of Vincent H. Cohen ’92, L’95—Partner at Dechert LLP, based in Washington, DC—to its Board of Advisors. Cohen is widely recognized and honored for his work in high-stakes litigation…

‘Confronting ‘Who We Are”

Verena Erlenbusch-Anderson, associate professor of philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, wrote an op-ed for History News Network titled “Confronting ‘Who We Are.’” Erlenbusch-Anderson specializes in political philosophy and often teaches courses on the philosophy of law. After…

‘After Capitol Breach, It Will Be Even Harder To Protest in Washington’

Lynne Adrine, director of the D.C. Graduate Program and adjunct professor of broadcast and digital journalism in the Newhouse School, wrote an op-ed for Syracuse.com titled “After Capitol breach, it will be even harder to protest in Washington.” Adrine has…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.