After the rap a sprite
The soda brand Sprite takes the needs of US youth seriously in new commercials
The soda brand Sprite takes the needs of US youth seriously in new commercialsBy Thérèse BalduzziWhile American commercials are increasingly relying on humor and parody, the Coca-Cola brand Sprite is moving away from this strategy after almost seven years. The latest campaign for the soda is a forum for young hobby rappers and was shot like a documentary.
The year-long "Obey your Thirst" campaign by Lowe Lintas, New York, featured a series of hilarious parodies of commercial clichés, from the "celebrity endorsements" in which celebrities drank Sprite while the cash register literally rang strong, to "tests" in which Sprite competed against a dishwashing detergent.
Since such parodies have become ubiquitous in advertising and because Sprite suffered a slight drop in profits last year, a completely new direction is now being taken. Lowe Lintas, New York, who is also responsible for the new "Voices of the Street" campaign, discovered the need of the targeted teenagers to be taken seriously and to be able to express themselves freely.
With the help of filmmaker Earl Griffin, six 30-second spots were created in which young people from New York, Los Angeles and Miami recount a personal experience from their lives in so-called "freestyle raps", i.e. raps without musical accompaniment. Although the young people are all representatives of the "urban youth" of the "inner cities" - two euphemisms used to describe poor, colored city dwellers - the stories revolve around absolutely harmless misadventures from their everyday lives and not about firearms, AIDS or drug addiction. In contrast, the documentary style gives the spots a raw, spontaneous and "real" feel.
In "Not too Sweet", African-American Joseph raps about his plans to go out, which fell through because he lost his money.
In "Crisp", Brandon, who is also black, explains why it is important to stay true to yourself.
The spot campaign is also accompanied by advertisements
Declared in "See through It
Hispanic Crystal as she looks through the mask of a "player" who is trying to impress her. In "Refreshing", Dante, who is also Hispanic, raps about a situation in which he felt threatened by a stranger until it later turned out to be an old school friend. In "Tart", Joey, who is black, describes how he behaved conspicuously at school to attract attention and what his behavior got him into. In "Absolutely clear", Scott, the only non-Hispanic white man, describes how he found his purpose in life.
The titles of the spots appear written out at the end. They tie in with the content of the "Freestyle" raps and stand for a characteristic of Sprite. The teens then each take a sip of Sprite, after which the old tagline "Obey your Thirst" appears. "Voices" is accompanied by a radio and print campaign and an interactive website.
The year-long "Obey your Thirst" campaign by Lowe Lintas, New York, featured a series of hilarious parodies of commercial clichés, from the "celebrity endorsements" in which celebrities drank Sprite while the cash register literally rang strong, to "tests" in which Sprite competed against a dishwashing detergent.
Since such parodies have become ubiquitous in advertising and because Sprite suffered a slight drop in profits last year, a completely new direction is now being taken. Lowe Lintas, New York, who is also responsible for the new "Voices of the Street" campaign, discovered the need of the targeted teenagers to be taken seriously and to be able to express themselves freely.
With the help of filmmaker Earl Griffin, six 30-second spots were created in which young people from New York, Los Angeles and Miami recount a personal experience from their lives in so-called "freestyle raps", i.e. raps without musical accompaniment. Although the young people are all representatives of the "urban youth" of the "inner cities" - two euphemisms used to describe poor, colored city dwellers - the stories revolve around absolutely harmless misadventures from their everyday lives and not about firearms, AIDS or drug addiction. In contrast, the documentary style gives the spots a raw, spontaneous and "real" feel.
In "Not too Sweet", African-American Joseph raps about his plans to go out, which fell through because he lost his money.
In "Crisp", Brandon, who is also black, explains why it is important to stay true to yourself.
The spot campaign is also accompanied by advertisements
Declared in "See through It
Hispanic Crystal as she looks through the mask of a "player" who is trying to impress her. In "Refreshing", Dante, who is also Hispanic, raps about a situation in which he felt threatened by a stranger until it later turned out to be an old school friend. In "Tart", Joey, who is black, describes how he behaved conspicuously at school to attract attention and what his behavior got him into. In "Absolutely clear", Scott, the only non-Hispanic white man, describes how he found his purpose in life.
The titles of the spots appear written out at the end. They tie in with the content of the "Freestyle" raps and stand for a characteristic of Sprite. The teens then each take a sip of Sprite, after which the old tagline "Obey your Thirst" appears. "Voices" is accompanied by a radio and print campaign and an interactive website.
