“The Real Thing”: Gallaudet University’s unique collaboration with The Coca-Cola Company

On May 8, 2025, Gallaudet released a video collaboration with The Coca-Cola Company, recreating the soft drink brand’s iconic “Hilltop” commercial from 1971 in American Sign Language (ASL).

The video wrapped up a project that gave four of our students the opportunity to work with one of the world’s most recognized brands. This is the story of how it happened.

A Long-Standing Partnership 

The Coca-Cola Company has been a faithful supporter of Gallaudet University since the 1980s. Through The Coca-Cola Foundation, the company has contributed to scholarships and career development programs that have supported dozens of deaf and hard of hearing students. The Coca-Cola Foundation was also a sponsor for the original Deaf Way Festival in 1989. This long-standing relationship laid the groundwork for Gallaudet to propose a unique, student-led project in late 2023.

The Deaf community has used many different sign names for “Coca-Cola” over the years, including some with unintended or outdated meanings. What if Gallaudet students researched these community sign names and reported what they found? The students would get valuable experience partnering with a global brand, and The Coca-Cola Company would deepen its connection with the Deaf community.

The in-kind partnership was coordinated by Gallaudet’s University Communications and Institutional Advancement departments. Chief Enrollment and Communications Officer Brandi Rarus, Director of Storytelling Storm Smith, ’10, and Dr. Allison Polk, ’02, Senior Director of Development in Institutional Advancement, spearheaded the project on behalf of Gallaudet. (Smith has since transitioned to an external consulting role with the university.)

Building the Team

In the fall of 2024, Smith began a cross-disciplinary nomination process with talent from Gallaudet’s Linguistics, Communication Studies, and Business programs. Four outstanding students were welcomed to the project: ZaniBelle Hoglind; Natasha Richards-Hamilton, ’25; Misa Suzuki, G-’24 & G-’25; and Alona Zfati.

With support from Smith and faculty such as Dr. Stacy Nowak, ’01, G-’04, & PhD ’23, the students were encouraged to manage the project’s research, branding, and communications.

• Hoglind and Richards-Hamilton enhanced the student team with their business acumen. At the time, both were in pursuit of their bachelor’s in Business Administration. They used their expertise in marketing to integrate The Coca-Cola Company’s business needs with community feedback.
• Suzuki joined the team while completing her second master’s at Gallaudet, in Sign Language Education. She had previously earned a master’s in Linguistics. As an international student from Japan, her multilingual and multimodal background brought valuable perspective on how signed languages evolve through cultural feedback.
• Zfati, a Communication Studies major, contributed branding and communications expertise. Her skill in communicating complex ideas helped the team engage with Coca-Cola and survey community members.

Together, the four students exemplified academic excellence and lived experience. Three of the four come from Deaf families, and they all share a deep understanding of deaf cultural experiences, signed language, and signing communities. Their work with The Coca-Cola Company shows how Gallaudet prepares students to use their unique skills and perspectives in a professional setting.

Research

The Coca-Cola Company expressed interest in a new sign name that reflected the fun and welcoming characteristics of their brand. Smith and the student team explained that sign names weren’t something a company could simply decide on its own. They develop through usage, consensus, and community identity. In addition, sign names often differ by region or community, just like the use of “soda” or “pop” around the US.

The students insisted that the project center community input. They committed to researching the history and linguistic context of Coca-Cola sign names. They knew they needed to survey the community, as well. Luckily, the perfect opportunity was happening soon. Gallaudet’s annual Homecoming event would bring hundreds of Deaf signers from around the country, and around the world, to the campus.

The team set up a booth and talked to over 100 Homecoming attendees. As expected, the responses varied. However, the majority of Deaf community members fingerspelled “C-O-K-E”. An informal poll on social media confirmed the finding. If there was such a thing as community consensus, this was it.

Linguistically, a fingerspelled name can function as a sign name. Deaf sign linguist Dr. Carol Padden, a recent Gallaudet Commencement speaker and collaborator with William Stokoe in the Linguistic Research Lab (LRL), explored the use of fingerspelling in ASL. Her work notes that fingerspelling is often used even if there are already signs for a certain concept.

According to Linguistics professor Dr. Julie Hochgesang, G-’07 & PhD ’13, “Fingerspelling is found in most, if not all, signed languages to date. Not only is it used to capture units from spoken languages like names and places, but it also has a place in the use of signed languages.

“Fingerspelling itself is used to convey something about concepts. For example, people often fingerspell the abbreviation for ‘Dr.’ instead of signing DOCTOR to represent someone with a PhD. Fingerspelling is sign! And because of that, it is no surprise that it comes up in name signs often, especially those with short names. When people tell me, ‘Oh, I don’t have a name sign, I just spell it,’ I say that they do have a name sign and they just showed it to me.”

Development

The student team compiled a report for The Coca-Cola Company outlining the results of their community survey, as well as the cultural and linguistic context of the community’s existing sign names.

The Coca-Cola team responded with enthusiasm, and a creative challenge. Could the students create a marketing variation of the fingerspelled sign name that aligned visually with the company’s brand identity?

The students knew they wanted to keep the fingerspelled “C-O-K-E” to respect the Deaf community’s preferences. They brainstormed ways to connect the fingerspelling to Coca-Cola’s visual identity. The brand’s iconic ribbon, with its flowing shape, was a natural fit.

Connecting the sign name for “Coca-Cola” with the shape of its ribbon is a form of linguistic iconicity. Says Dr. Hochgesang, “Iconicity is everywhere in language – signed and even spoken. Humans have long connected form (signed and spoken, as well as felt in the case of Protactile or Tactile language use) with meaning somehow. It’s a normal part of language lexicons.

“The ASL sign for ‘tree’ looks like a tree. The ASL sign for ‘drive’ shows how we move our hands when steering. The ASL sign for ‘walk’ can show how the feet or legs move when walking. And even more, we often play around with iconicity – think about fingerspelling ‘golf’ in a way that shows us setting up the ball and kicking it off with the fingerspelled letters. It’s a natural part of our language use and ideal for situations like this.”

Presenting the Findings

The four students combined their skills for a final presentation. Hoglind and Richards-Hamilton used their business knowledge to connect the team’s research to The Coca-Cola Company’s branding. Suzuki framed the linguistic reasoning behind the brand sign name. And Zfati used her communication skills to shape the messaging.

The students were supported by Smith and Professor Nowak. On the day of the presentation, everybody gathered in a conference room on campus. They were joined virtually by senior branding, marketing, and community relations staff at The Coca-Cola Company, as well as filmmakers on site.

During an unanticipated delay, the students stayed calm and made light conversation with everybody in the room. When it was time to shine, they transitioned into the presentation as if nothing had happened. Each of them took turns summarizing their research, the Deaf community’s use of sign names, and how it all aligned with The Coca-Cola Company’s brand and vision.

The room filled with applause. The students confidently answered questions from the Coca-Cola team, building on their presentation. Zfati and Hoglind took the opportunity to ask The Coca-Cola Company to reaffirm their commitment to continue working with the Deaf community and Deaf businesses in the future.

“I was so impressed and inspired by the students,” says Nowak. “They advocated for themselves and for our community.”

The Coca-Cola Company officials praised the poise and expertise of Hoglind, Richards-Hamilton, Suzuki, and Zfati. They had weathered stakes and interruptions that would have thrown off even experienced corporate professionals, and thrived.

Smith and the student team had done their job. Now it was time to share that work with the world.

Returning to the Hilltop

One of the first things that many people associate with Coca-Cola is their iconic “Hilltop” commercial from 1971. The advertisement shows people from around the world singing together in harmony on a hilltop in Italy.

The Coca-Cola Company and Gallaudet sought to recreate the magic of the “Hilltop” ad on the Gallaudet campus. Students, including three of the four who had developed the brand sign name, gathered on the Gallaudet mall for filming on a beautiful sunny day.

Gallaudet Theatre and Dance Professor Monique “MoMo” Holt translated the lyrics of the song “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” into ASL for the new ad. The students, along with some Gallaudet staff and faculty, practiced in the sun until they could sign together in perfect harmony. The final video shows the 1971 commercial flowing into a modern image of students on Gallaudet’s campus.

The finished product came together quickly, in time for Coca-Cola’s 139th birthday. The Coca-Cola Company premiered the film internally at their annual company meeting. It brought the house down.

Gallaudet shared the video with the world on the morning of May 8. The reception has been largely positive, recognizing the significance of featuring ASL on a global platform. It also sparked conversation about the linguistic basis of a fingerspelled sign name, as well as the concept of a brand sign name.

The Real Thing

The Class of 2025 Commencement ceremony marked another successful chapter in the decades-long partnership between Gallaudet and The Coca-Cola Company. Suzuki and Richards-Hamilton graduated with a new accomplishment to add to their resumes. Hoglind and Zfati will carry the experience with them as they prepare to graduate in 2026.

Says Dr. Polk of Institutional Advancement, “The students elevated their own research and strategic communications skills, with Storm’s mentorship and coaching from faculty members. By connecting The Coca-Cola Company to an underrepresented part of its market in a meaningful way, we advanced education, career readiness, and innovation.”

Several scholars supported by The Coca-Cola Foundation also graduated with their Gallaudet degrees at Commencement. Most were the first in their families to attend college. The graduates received special stoles from Coca-Cola to commemorate the day.

Gallaudet is proud to offer unique experiences to our students that build their academic and career skills. Handwaves to the student team and everybody who made this innovative collaboration a success!

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