Coke's "What Goes Around..."

Nagi Noda is about to be a big name. The director of this new spot for Coke, she perfectly executes the breif, adding flavor, fun, and depth to a simple story that plays on the "pay it forward" theory-- pass along a Coke, and ultimately, the favor will be returned.

The twist on this? Noda's use of visual repitition: almost like taking many freeze-frame photos, the spot uses duplicate actor stand-ins as we pan and weave through this fantasy world. Each actor strikes a pose, like keyframes in an animation that tell a story. It's a technique that's signature Noda-- she's used it before to great success (it got her a D&AD Award) with the music video Sentimental Journey for singer Yuki. And, believe it or not, there's no CG involved.

This spot definitely harkens back to "Classic" Coke-- Jack White's (White Stripes) nostalgic track floats along, perfectly matching the colorful visuals. Like older spots however, it could be seen to draw on older stereotypes-- the innocent girl in the beginning is almost like a Red Riding Hood; however, when she passes her Coke along, her innocence and generoisity isn't betrayed, and instead, she's rewarded in the end.

It'll be worth keeping an eye on Noda to see what she comes up with in the future. Whether she sticks with this visual style or not, her future work will probably continue to have her cheerful mood and tone.