Sprite (soft drink)
| Type | Soft-Drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Country of origin |  West Germany |
| Introduced | in 1961 |
| Colour | Transparent |
| Flavour | Grapefruit, Citrus, Lemon and Lemon-Lime[1] |
| Variants | See Brand portfolio section below |
| Related products | 7 Up, Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew |
| Website | Sprite official website |
Sprite is a transparent, lemon-lime flavored, caffeine free soft drink, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced in the United States in 1961. This was Coke's response to the popularity of 7 Up, which had begun as "Lithiated Lemon" in 1929. It comes in a primarily silver, green, and blue can or a green translucent bottle with a primarily green and blue label. In 1978, Sprite became the market leader position in the lemon soda category. Sprite is very popular in Canada as well. The annual sales rate of Sprite in Canada is 15 million per year.
Sprite became popular in marketing in the 1960s through 1970s when they started making advertisements for the soda pop which was soon referenced in songs. Sprite also became popular through the late 1970s through early 1980s, when they made slogan ads for the pop. In the late 1980s, Sprite became popular through the teenage group.
During the 1990s, the soda started to be featured in TV and radio ads. In 2000, Sprite commissioned Temper to design a can which saw the design on 300 million cans across Europe. During 2005 the company changed its logo, then again in 2009.
Contents |
History
Sprite was introduced to the United States in 1961 to compete against 7 Up. Early magazine advertisements promoted it as a somewhat sophisticated, tart and not-too-sweet drink mixer, to be used (similar to tonic water or ginger ale) with alcoholic beverages such as Whiskey and Vodka. In the 1980s, many years after Sprite's introduction, Coke pressured its large bottlers that distributed 7 Up to replace the soda with the Coca-Cola product. In a large part due to the strength of the Coca-Cola system of bottlers, Sprite finally became the leader position in the lemon soda category in 1978.
Marketing
Sprite's slogans in the 1960s and 1970s ranged from "Taste Its Tingling Tartness," "Naturally Tart," and "It's a Natural!" these were all advertised to make people wonder about the taste of sprite.
A song known as "Sprite" or "Melon-ball Bounce" was originally composed by Raymond Scott for a Sprite radio commercial around 1963, that references the "ice-tart taste" of Sprite.
Sprite started its most memorable campaign in the late 1970s/early 1980s with the phrase "Great Lymon Taste makes it Sprite" (using the portmanteau word "lymon," combining the words "lemon" and "lime," to describe the flavor of the drink) which remained on the logo for many years. However, this was never the actual Sprite slogan and was advertised by Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell.
By the 1980s Sprite began to have a big following among teenagers, so in 1987 marketing ads for the product were changed to cater to that demographic. "I Like the Sprite in You" was their first long running slogan. Many versions of the jingle were made during that time to fit various genres. The slogan was used until 1994.
In 1994, Sprite created a newer logo that stood out from their previous logos. The main coloring of the product's new logo was blue blending into green with silver "splashes," and subtle small white bubbles were on the background of the logo. The word "Sprite" had a blue backdrop shadow on the logo, and the words "Great Lymon Taste!" were removed from the logo. This was the official U.S. logo until 2007. During 1994, the slogan was also changed to "Obey Your Thirst" and was set to the urban crowd with a hip-hop theme song. One of the first lyrics for the new slogan were, "Never forget yourself 'cause first things first, grab a cold, cold can, and Obey your thirst."
Toward the late 1990s, most of Sprite's advertisements featured amateur and famous basketball players. The tagline for most of these ads was, "Image is nothing. Thirst is everything. Obey your thirst."
In 1998, one infamous commercial poked fun at products with cartoon mascots. In the commercial, a mother serves up two glasses of a fictitious product called "Sun Fizz" for her kids. The kids are thrilled, saying that it's their favorite. Then the product's mascot, a sun character with blue eyes, a red bow tie, and a high-pitched Mickey Mouse-like voice, pops out saying that "there's a delicious ray of sunshine in every drop." The mother and her kids scream in horror and run while the sun character chases them around the house asking why they're running from him. After the mom trips and tells her kids to keep running, the viewer is left to wonder what will happen to her. Finally, the commercial's message is given: "Trust your gut, not some cartoon character."[2]
In the 1990s, one of Sprite's longest-running ad campaigns was "Grant Hill Drinks Sprite" (overlapping its "Obey Your Thirst" campaign), in which the well-liked basketball player's abilities, and Sprite's importance in giving him his abilities, were humorously exaggerated.[3][4]
Also in the 1990s, Sprite launched the short-lived but memorable "Jooky" ad campaign. The 30-second television spots poked fun at other soft drinks' perceived lack of authenticity, ridiculous loyalty programs and, in particular, the grandiose, bandwagon-driven style of advertising popular among other soft drink manufacturers, notably Pepsi. The tagline for these spots was "Image is nothing. Thirst is everything. Obey your thirst."[5][6]
In 2000, Sprite commissioned graffiti artist Temper to design a limited edition can which saw the design on 100 million cans across Europe.
In 2004, Coke created Miles Thirst, a vinyl doll voiced by Reno Wilson, used in advertising to exploit the hip-hop market for soft drinks.[7]
In 2005, a new Sprite logo, consisting of two yellow and green "halves" forming an "S" lemon/lime design, began to make its debut on Sprite bottles and cans. The slogan was changed from its long running "Obey Your Thirst" to just "Obey." The advertisement themes received their first major change for this decade as well. This design was rarely used in the UK, using instead a revamped version of the previous logo.
Sprite's ads at the time featured several fast subliminal scenes and messages that can be pointed out when played back in slow motion. As with most modern commercials, many of these videos can be seen online. The "Sublymonal" campaign was also used as part of the alternate reality game The Lost Experience.[8] This also resurrected the "lymon" word.
Sprite redesigned their label in April 2009, removing the aforementioned "S" logo after just two years. The new design, which features yet another new revision of the main Sprite logo, bears much resemblance to the 1994 revamp. Sprite Zero bottles from this era feature grey packaging, a first for the brand.
In the UK, it is recognized by its slogan "Get the Right Sprite," based on ads containing an alternate sprite, a green sickly goblin that causes irritation and trouble to those who acquire it accidentally.
Brand portfolio
| Name | Launched | Discontinued | Notes | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprite Zero | 1974 | This sugar-free version was originally produced in the United States as "Sugar Free Sprite" in 1974, then was renamed to "Diet Sprite" in 1983. In other countries, it was known as "Sprite Light." In September 2004, it was rebranded as "Diet Sprite Zero." Since then, it has become "Sprite Zero (Sprite Z)" in Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, mainland China, Europe, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and New Zealand. "Diet" was dropped from the product's name, to become simply "Sprite Zero," when new logos debuted in June 2006. The "Zero" designation for low-calorie sodas from the Coca-Cola Company was first used on Diet Sprite Zero before being used on the flagship Zero product, Coca-Cola Zero. | ||
| Sprite Ice | 2002 | A mint-flavored Sprite that made its debut in Korea in 2002 as "Sprite Blue," "Sprite Ice" in Canada, and '"Sprite Ice Cube" in Belgium in 2003. "Sprite Ice Blue" was introduced in Italy, Taiwan, and mainland China in 2004, and in Chile in the summer of 2005. There is also "Sprite Lemon Lime Mint." | ||
| Sprite Super Lemon | 2003 | Introduced in Hong Kong in 2003 | ||
| Sprite on Fire | 2003 | A ginger-flavored variation marketed as having a burning sensation. It was introduced in Hong Kong in 2003. This flavor also debuted in mainland China and Taiwan in 2004. Available in some areas as "Sprite Finger Lemon." | ||
| Sprite Remix | 2003 | Fruit-flavored variations first introduced in the United States in 2003. A different flavor was available in 2004, and finally 2005. Its production has been around 11.6 billion bottles per year. | ||
| Sprite Duo | 2007 | A variation of Sprite with lemon juice and less carbonation and sugar that is available in Spain in cans and PET bottles. It was introduced in spring 2007[9] and phased out in early 2009. | ||
| Sprite Dry Lemon | Unknown | Available in Canada. | ||
| Sprite 3G | Unknown | An Energy drink produced to rival Red Bull. It contains Glucose, caffeine from Green coffee beans and Guarana. It has been advertised as the "new addition to the Sprite family," a Sprite baby. Glassworks (the company that does the ads for the Sprite drink) had developed the next generation of the trademark Sprite goblin and the phrase, "It keeps you sharp." Sprite 3G has since been discontinued in the UK.[10] | ||
| Sprite Recharge | Unknown | An energy drink. | ||
| Chinotto | 1997 | Marketed as lemon-lime soda in some countries in South America as a replacement for Sprite (Sprite uses the name "Chinotto" in countries such as Venezuela). Its taste is very similar to Sprite. | ||
| Sprite Super Chilled | Unknown | A sprite flavor that creates ice when its opened. Sold in the UK in test markets.[11] | ||
| Sprite Green | 2008 | Announced December 17, 2008, Sprite Green is sweetened with Truvia (a natural zero-calorie sweetener made from Stevia)[12] and sugar. It also contains lemon juice and is sold in glass bottles. |
See also
- Soft drink
- Coca-Cola
- 7 Up
- Sierra Mist
- Mountain Dew
References
- ↑ "Sprite Brand - Coca Cola". coca-cola.com. http://www.virtualvender.coca-cola.com/ft/index.jsp. Retrieved 2009 17 09.
- ↑ Sprite- "Sun Fizz" commercial
- ↑ Sprite And Its Meaning
- ↑ AdvertisementAve.com - A Better Basketball Player?
- ↑ YouTube - Jooky advertisement
- ↑ YouTube - Jooky Junk
- ↑ Howard, Theresa (2004-04-26). "Coke creates hip-hop figure to inject Sprite with attitude". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/adtrack/2004-04-25-sprite_x.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
- ↑ http://www.thelostexperience.com/2006/05/10/
- ↑ Coca-Cola España
- ↑ http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/item/57328/pg_dtl_art_news/pg_hdr_art/pg_ftr_art
- ↑ Marketing News: Coke plots 'Sprite with ice' with help of new technology - Marketing Week
- ↑ BevNET: Coca-Cola North America Announces 2008 Launch of Sprite Green
External links
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||