‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sign’

Gallaudet University Gifts Coca‑Cola With Global ASL Sign Name

Gallaudet University — the nation’s premier educational institution for the deaf — presented its longstanding partners at Coca‑Cola with a special 139^th birthday gift.

The globally recognized soft drink brand now has an official sign language name sign thanks to a group of Gallaudet students. The visual expression signs out the letters “C-O-K-E” in American Sign Language (ASL) with an added rhythmic hand motion representing the logo’s dynamic ribbon.

Developed over the past year at the university’s Communications and Marketing Lab, Coca‑Cola’s new global sign name reinforces the brand’s commitment to inclusion and accessibility, as well as its connection with the global deaf and hard of hearing community.

Since its founding in 1864, Gallaudet University has pioneered the global recognition and prioritization of sign language, including research that proved ASL as a language with its own syntax and grammar. In 2023, Gallaudet launched a student-led marketing consulting practice to help global brands develop authentic sign names that enhance accessibility and inclusion for the more than 400 million deaf and hard of hearing people worldwide.

“It is more than fitting that Coca‑Cola is the first global corporation to receive a sign created by students at Gallaudet University, the world’s leading institution in the world for deaf and hard of hearing students,” said Storm Smith, director of storytelling, Gallaudet University. “We are deeply honored to have partnered with Coca‑Cola on this, and our hope is that many other global brands will follow in Coca‑Cola’s footsteps, not only in recognizing the extraordinary value a global sign name brings but the importance of creating a stronger connection with our global signing communities.”

A Sign of Great Taste

The idea for the sign name emerged last year when Gallaudet approached The Coca‑Cola Company, which has supported the university with first-generation scholarship funding and career development programs since the 1980s.

“They came to us wanting to gift us a name sign as a way to better represent the company and brand in ASL and within the deaf community. The goal was to create expressions that better reflected our mission to ‘Refresh the World and Make a Difference’,” said Cameron Mattingly, director of stakeholder partnerships, Coca‑Cola North America. “Everyone came together to bring this to life in an inclusive way, which speaks volumes about our partnership and shared values.”

Gallaudet selected four interdisciplinary students to lead the project, which included extensive research, focus groups, ideation and creative testing in collaboration with Coca‑Cola executives.

Gallaudet and The Coca‑Cola Company commemorated the gift with a film inspired by the iconic 1971 Coca‑Cola ad known as “Hilltop”. Students, faculty, alumni and members of the deaf community gathered on the school’s campus in Washington, D.C. for the shoot. In the spot, the crowd signs the words 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 the community’s signing and tactile communication without the song’s audio to capture the essence of the deaf community's communication.

“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.