Fanta

Fanta

Type	Soft drink
Manufacturer	The Coca-Cola Company
Introduced	Nazi Germany
Variants	See International availability section below
Related products	Sunkist, Orange Crush, Orange Slice

Fanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks from the Coca-Cola Company. There are over 90 flavors worldwide. The drink market debut was in 1942.

History

Fanta originated when a trading ban was placed on Nazi Germany by the Allies during World War II.^[1] The Coca-Cola GmbH, therefore was not able to import the syrup needed to produce Coca-Cola in Germany.^[1] As a result, Max Keith, the man in charge of Coca-Cola's operations in Germany during the Second World War, decided to create a new product for the German market, using only ingredients available in Germany at the time,^[1] including whey and pomace – the "leftovers of leftovers", as Keith later recalled.^[2] The name was the result of a brief brainstorming session, which started with Keith exhorting his team to "use their imagination" ("Fantasie" in German), to which one of his salesmen, Joe Knipp, immediately retorted "Fanta!".^[2]

Marketing

Fanta 375 mL cans (AU)

Fanta is known for its upbeat advertising; in the United States, it showcases The Fantanas, a casted group of young female spokesmodels each of whom promotes an individual Fanta flavour. For the re-introduction of Fanta in the United States, Coca-Cola worked with the ad agency Ogilvy (NYC) in 2002. After a brainstorming session, the Ogilvy creative team of Andrea Scaglione, Andrew Ladden and Bill Davaris, created the tagline "Wanta Fanta?" which became the jingle for the Fantanas in the broadcast campaign. In mid-2009, Fanta held a talent search and selected Shakira Barrera to become the fourth Fantana.^[3] Now, Barrera is leaving her post, and they are searching for her replacement with another online talent search. ^[4]

International availability

There are over 70 different flavors worldwide. For example, in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and some other countries, there is "Fanta Shokata" (a wordplay between "soc" -elderberry in Romanian- and "shock") based on the elderflower blossoms extract drink, traditional in Romania (where it's called Socată), Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other Balkan countries. In Switzerland and the Netherlands, the local berry blackcurrant is used to produce Fanta as well. Some identical flavors have different names in different markets.

It should be noted that the original formula of Orange Fanta, available in Germany, Austria, and other countries, is completely different from the drink marketed in the United States as Orange Fanta. The original contains orange juice and has a color similar to orange juice, while the version made for the US market is artificially colored red-orange and does not taste like fruit juice. The US version also contains brominated vegetable oil similar to other orange/citrus drinks marketed in the US, such as Mountain Dew. This ingredient gives a beverage a candy-like flavor that seems to stick to the tongue; it is prohibited in some countries in Europe due to health concerns. The other three flavors introduced to the US in 2002 are not available in Germany; although in Germany 'lemon' Fanta is available.

Primary competitors to Fanta have included Tango, Mirinda, Slice, Sumol, Orange Crush, and Tropicana Twister. Fanta was the second drink to be produced by Coca-Cola, apart from the original Coca-Cola.

International popularity

• In Spanish culture, a "Fantapayer" (pagafantas) is a man in love with a young woman who does not love him back. The phrase suggests always being the one paying for another's soft drink.^[5]
• A Vatican spokesman has said that Pope Benedict XVI's favorite beverage is Fanta.^[6]
• In Venezuela Fanta is commercialized under the name "Hit", since is bottled by "Hit Embotelladoras de Venezuela".

Controversy

A 2005 British television advert for Fanta Z which featured people spitting out mouthfuls of Fanta Light drew complaints that it encouraged bad manners, and was restricted to post-9pm broadcasts.^[7]

References

External links

• Media related to Fanta at Wikimedia Commons
• Fanta Official Website
• Fanta's Official YouTube Channel
• Fanta Games - Virtual Tennis and Crew
• History of Coca-cola and Fanta complete with pictures
• Fanta on Coca-cola.com
• Coke phasing out Minute Maid soft drinks