New Coca-Cola Sign Name Debuts with
Reimagined Iconic 1971 "Hilltop" Ad, This Time in American Sign
Language and Featuring Gallaudet Students Filmed on
Campus
WASHINGTON, May 8, 2025
/PRNewswire/ -- Gallaudet University,
the leading institution in the world for deaf and hard of hearing
students, announced today that a group of university students has
created and presented The Coca-Cola Company with its own global
corporate sign name.
The new name sign debuts with a reimagining of Coca-Cola's
iconic 1971 "Hilltop" ad, filmed in American Sign Language with
students, faculty and alumni on Gallaudet's Washington,
D.C. campus.
Backed by research and input from the university and broader
deaf communities, a cohort of Gallaudet
students developed the corporate name sign and gifted it today in
honor of Coca-Cola's 139th birthday.
The Coca-Cola Company's new global sign name, developed over the
past year through Gallaudet's
student-led Communications and Marketing Lab, visually represents
the iconic soft drink in American Sign Language (ASL), reinforcing
the Company's commitment to inclusion and accessibility, and its
connection with the global deaf and hard of hearing community.
The visual expression signs out the letters "C-O-K-E" in ASL
with an added rhythmic hand motion representing the brand's
signature dynamic ribbon.
"It is more than fitting that The Coca-Cola Company is the first
global corporation to receive a sign created by students at
Gallaudet University," said
Storm Smith, Gallaudet University's Director of Storytelling.
"We are deeply honored to have partnered with Coca-Cola on this.
Our hope is that many other global brands will now follow in
Coca-Cola's footsteps, recognizing the extraordinary value a global
sign name brings and the importance of creating a stronger
connection with our global signing communities."
"Gallaudet came to us wanting to
create a name sign as a way to better represent the company and
brand in ASL and within the deaf community," said Cameron Mattingly, Director of Stakeholder
Partnerships, Coca-Cola North America. "The goal was to create
expressions that better reflected our mission to 'Refresh the World
and Make a Difference.' Everyone came together to bring this to
life in an inclusive way, which speaks volumes about our
partnership and shared values."
Reimagining "Hilltop" — Teaching the World to Sign
To highlight the significance of its new sign name, Coca-Cola
turned to its iconic 1971 "Hilltop" commercial, a timeless symbol
of unity. Filmed on Gallaudet's
Washington, D.C. campus, a group
of Gallaudet students are joined by
staff and alumni to sign the lyrics to "I'd Like to Buy the World a
Coke," incorporating the brand's new name sign. When the chorus of
the familiar jingle comes around, the film prominently features
American Sign Language without the song's audio to capture the
essence of the deaf community's communication.
Reimagining "Hilltop" in ASL not only honors the legacy of the
original but also reflects The Coca-Cola Company's ongoing
commitment to inclusion and accessibility, celebrating Deaf
culture, identity, and belonging.
"Coca-Cola is all about inspiring connection and moments of
uplift, which this storytelling captures beautifully by paying
homage to a classic commercial in an inclusive way for the deaf
community," said Nikki Moorer,
Coca-Cola Brand Manager.
Gallaudet University's
Student-Led Marketing Consulting Practice for Global Brands
Since its founding in 1864, Gallaudet
University has been a pioneering leader in advancing
worldwide recognition and prioritization of sign language. Building
on its linguistic expertise and cultural leadership, Gallaudet University launched a student-led
marketing consulting practice in 2023 to help global brands develop
authentic sign names that enhance accessibility and inclusion for
deaf and hard of hearing communities.
Coca-Cola's new sign name is the result of an interdisciplinary
collaboration by students majoring in Communication Studies,
Business Administration, and Linguistics, showcasing how
Gallaudet's unique academic model can
blend strategy, storytelling, and language to influence brand
identity at a global level.
With more than 400 million deaf and hard of hearing people
worldwide and an estimated $10
billion global sign language economy, a universal sign name
offers brands a powerful marketing opportunity.
Gallaudet University and The
Coca-Cola Company's Longstanding Partnership
Two years ago, Gallaudet began
conversations with The Coca-Cola Company about the importance of
establishing a corporate sign name. With support from Brandi Rarus, Gallaudet
University's Chief Enrollment and Communications Officer,
the project moved forward under the creative leadership of
Storm Smith, the university's
Director of Storytelling. Drawing on her background in advertising,
branding, and inclusive marketing, Storm led the development
process and invited four Gallaudet
students to collaborate over the course of a year.
Together, the team conducted in-depth research, focus groups,
and creative testing in collaboration with Coca-Cola executives,
resulting in the creation of a new ASL brand sign for the
company.
The sign name project is one of many initiatives in a
decades-long partnership enjoyed by Gallaudet
University and The Coca-Cola Company dating back to the
1980s and including scholarships, career development programs and
the original Deaf Way festival in 1989.
Gallaudet University, federally
chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural
institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and
professional advancement of Deaf, hard of hearing and Deafblind
individuals through American Sign Language and English.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with
products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our
company's purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We
sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage
categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands
includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our water, sports, coffee and
tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Fuze Tea
and Gold Peak. Our juice, value-added dairy and plant-based
beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, and fairlife. We're
constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our
drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to
positively impact people's lives, communities and the planet
through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable
sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value
chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than
700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local
communities worldwide. Learn more
at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Instagram,
Facebook and LinkedIn.
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SOURCE Gallaudet University