'Mad Men': Coke says it wasn't paid for use of iconic ad, but doesn't care

The Mad Men series finale aired back on Sunday night, but we can’t get that final image of Don Draper reaching serenity and fading into Coca-Cola’s famous “I’d Like To But The World A Coke” commercial. Coke quickly jumped on the importance of the brand in the show, even though they weren’t paid a dime.

Just after the episode aired, Coke posted the commercial on Twitter, writing, “A bright idea indeed, Don. Thanks for thinking of us.”

However, it doesn’t appear that Coke was paid or even knew that creator Matthew Weiner planned to use the commercial. “No money exchanged hands,” a spokesman told People.

“We've had limited awareness around the brand's role in the series's final episodes, and what a rich story they decided to tell,” the company added. “Mad Men is one of the most popular TV shows of all time, and 'Hilltop' is an iconic piece of Coca-Cola history. The finale gave everyone inside and outside the company – some for the first time –­ a chance to experience the magic of 'Hilltop' within the context of its creation and the times.”

The famous ad was created by Bill Backer, who worked for the real McCann Erickson ad agency in 1971. He’s now 89, lives in Virginia and is now busy telling the media that he doesn’t watch Mad Men.

“I certainly don’t watch shows that center around people that I have a hard time identifying with,” he told The New York Times. He added, “I’ve forgotten most of my vices...I’m not Don Draper.”

We’re still trying to figure out if the ad was created by Don or possibly Peggy in the realm of the show. Jon Hamm, who played Don, said Monday that he thinks Don made it. Don did run into several Coke references throughout the final episodes and was supposed to be working on Coke while at McCann. However, would McCann have welcomed him back after he ditched the company for a month? We will never know for certain.

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