As the weather warms up, Sprite is seeking to help consumers cool down with a new limited-time product that delivers a chilling sensation on top of a cherry lime flavor profile. The temperature-themed Sprite Chill launches with online video ads starring Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, a.k.a “Ice Trae,” as he interrupts fans who borrow his signature on-court shiver with help from an mental property lawyer and “freeze and desist” notices.
The comedic concept, which casts Young in a self-deprecating light, was inspired by the colloquial usage of the word “cold,” referring to someone who is acting at the highest of their game, in accordance with A.P. Chaney, senior creative director for Sprite and Fanta at The Coca-Cola Company. The term is particularly popular with African-American and Hispanic-American consumers who make up key goal demographics for the brand. While Sprite Chill was originally intended to be promoted with a below-the-line campaign centered on shopper marketing, the thought snowballed into something more substantial and proved a natural fit for NBA star Young, who has served as a Sprite ambassador since 2021.
Additional elements include out-of-home buys in Atlanta, Detroit, New York and Los Angeles, along with paid and owned social media. Agency Majority developed the creative with support from WPP’s bespoke Open X unit, which incorporates EssenceMediacom, Ogilvy New York and VML, and Momentum Worldwide.
“After we had the [cold] insight, we realized we type of have lightning in a bottle and needed to make this greater,” said Chaney in an interview.
Gen Z within the crosshairs
Sprite Chill, which is available in zero- and full-sugar versions and hits shelves Monday, has distinctive packaging, with a green and frosted blue color scheme paired with cherry accents. Cracked ice visuals underscore the beverage’s tactile cooling effect, which was achieved through a new proprietary flavor technology for Sprite that is much like one utilized in the confectionary and baking worlds.
Limited-edition Sprite Chill has a definite cooling sensation and cherry lime flavor.
Permission granted by Sprite
The chill factor is further reinforced through outdoor ads that integrate with a Sprite Chill Cam on Snapchat. The photo tool allows users to upload pictures of themselves to real-life billboards displaying a triptych with Young as cold, regular Sprite as coldest and Sprite Chill because the “coldest-est.” Sprite earlier in April hosted an event at State Farm Arena in its hometown of Atlanta that included sampling for Sprite Chill and a preview of the Young commercials.
The formal rollout of Sprite Chill comes as parent Coca-Cola experiments more with products that attempt to bottle unusual sensations or cultural trends as an alternative of conventional flavors. The core Coke brand since 2022 has run a Creations platform that has produced drinks formulated around dreams, outer space and tears of joy, simply to name a number of. Creations has develop into a vital marketing tool to succeed in Gen Z, a gaggle that is also in Sprite’s crosshairs amid stiffer competition.
Sprite takes a more measured approach to limited-time offerings, Chaney explained, with items like a holiday-themed Winter Spiced Cranberry within the regular rotation. It goals to show Chill right into a springboard that extends beyond one-off novelty to fulfill an actual consumer need, in accordance with the manager.
“Depending on performance and the way it does, hopefully this becomes a sustaining platform and we are able to introduce more flavors and do more things and create more equity throughout the Chill platform,” said Chaney.
“It’s really [about] leaning into the lifestyle space and wanting to develop into greater than only a beverage brand and in addition a lifestyle brand. I feel Chill will help us try this,” she added.
The brand last week also resurrected “Obey Your Thirst,” a campaign and slogan that first bowed within the ‘90s, with an even bigger Gen Z slant. Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards leads the newest iteration, joined by sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, the world’s fastest woman, and NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill, who appeared within the older ads. Sprite also operates a Gen Z council that informs product and marketing decisions and exists to enhance more traditional testing methods and social listening.
On-court competition
Sprite has drawn on basketball as a cultural touchpoint for many years, with past campaigns featuring legends comparable to Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. While the brand still works with athletes like Young and Edwards on a person basis, Coca-Cola relinquished its sponsorship of the NBA in 2015 to chief rival PepsiCo, which recently made Starry its league flagship.
Starry, which replaced Sierra Mist in PepsiCo’s portfolio last 12 months, competes directly with Sprite within the lemon-lime category and markets heavily to Gen Z. Starry ran its first Super Bowl spot in February, a part of a spike in marketing activity between the beverage giants that has resurrected discussions concerning the Cola Wars.
“I don’t think it’s put us on the offense. But I’ll say we’re at all times taking a look at the market, attempting to see what our competitors are doing,” said Chaney of Starry’s NBA sponsorship. “[Basketball] still stands to be a powerful consumer touchpoint for us. We’ll at all times live inside in basketball, whether Starry is doing it or not, because we now have a lot equity there.”
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