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Sprite (soft drink)

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Sprite
Type Soft-Drink
Manufacturer The Coca-Cola Company
Country of
Germany
origin
Introduced 1961
Colour Transparent
Bitter Lemon Citrus Grapefruit, Citrus,
Flavour
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 became popular in marketing in the 1960s through 1970s when they started
making advertisements for the soda pop which was soon references 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 starting to be featuring in TV Ads. In 2000 Sprite
commissioned Temper to design a can which saw the design on 100 million cans across
Europe. During 2007 the company changed its logo, then again in 2009.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 History
• 2 Marketing
• 3 Brand portfolio
• 4 See also
• 5 References

• 6 External links

[edit] History
Sprite was introduced in 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 competitor with the Coca-
Cola product. In large part due to the strength of the Coca-Cola system of bottlers, Sprite
finally became the market leader position in the lemon soda category in 1978.[citation needed]

[edit] Marketing
Sprite's slogans in the 1960s and 1970s ranged from "Taste Its Tingling Tartness,"
"Naturally Tart," and "It's a Natural!"

A melon ball is referenced in the Freezepop song "secret Bonus Song" that appears at the
end of their "Fashion Impression Function" EP. The song is otherwise known as "Sprite"
or "Melonball Bounce" and 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.
Three Sprite cans produced in mainland China (from left to right): Sprite Icy Mint, Sprite
On Fire, and Sprite

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."

Sprite cans from 1993, 2008, and 2009.


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.

The Evolution of the Sprite bottle,(from left to right), The original 1960's starburst logo,
the 2004 slanted Sprite logo, 2007's "S" logo, the new 2009 logo.

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 2007, 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.

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 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.

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.

[edit] Brand portfolio

Name Launched Discontinued Notes Picture

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,
Sprite Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, mainland China,
1974
Zero 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.

A mint-flavored Sprite that made its debut


in Korea in 2002 as "Sprite Blue," "Sprite
Ice" in Canada, and '"Sprite Ice Cube" in
Sprite Ice 2002 Belgium in 2003. "Sprite Ice Blue" was
introduced in Italy and mainland China in
2004, and in Chile in the summer of 2005.
There is also "Sprite Lemon Lime Mint."

Sprite 2003 Introduced in Hong Kong in 2003


Super
Lemon

A ginger-flavored variation marketed as


having a burning sensation. It was
Sprite on introduced in Hong Kong in 2003. This
2003
Fire flavor also debuted in mainland China in
2004. Available in some areas as "Sprite
Finger Lemon."

Fruit-flavored variations first introduced in


the United States in 2003. A different
Sprite
2003 flavor was available in 2004, and finally
Remix
2005. Its production has been around 11.6
billion bottles per year.

A variation of Sprite with lemon juice and


less carbonation and sugar that is available
Sprite
2007 in Spain in cans and PET bottles. It was
Duo
introduced in spring 2007[9] and passed out
in early 2009.

Sprite Dry
Unknown Available in Canada.
Lemon

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
Sprite 3G Unknown (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."[citation
needed]
Sprite 3G has since been discontinued
in the UK.[10]
Sprite
Unknown An energy drink.
Recharge

Marketed as lemon-lime soda in some


countries in South America as a
replacement for Sprite (Sprite uses the
Chinotto Unknown
name "Chinotto" in countries such as
Venezuela). Its taste is very similar to
Sprite.

Sprite An anticipated product that uses


Super Unknown technology that will create ice inside the
Chilled bottle once opened.[11]

Announced December 17, 2008, Sprite


Sprite Green will be sweetened with Truvia (a
2008
Green natural zero-calorie sweetener made from
Stevia)[12]

[edit] See also


• Soft drink
• Coca-Cola
• 7 Up
• Mountain Dew

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