Mktg - Coca-Cola 'breaks' OOH campaign for Sprite Xpress

Rohit Nautiyal

Festive seasons mark big launches or relaunches for many categories in the country, including beverage brands. This time, beverage giant Coca-Cola has launched a new pack variant of its clear drink, Sprite. The new bottle is a 350 ml on the go pack called Sprite Xpress, which is priced at Rs 15.The new packaging is a strategic initiative aimed to build a stronger connect with the youth; it is designed to offer convenience and adapts to the dynamic and on the move lifestyle of the consumers. Coca-Cola is using eye catching outdoor creatives for the product communication. This includes innovative 3D graphics on various outdoor structures. For instance, a sticker on a glass door looks like a Sprite Xpress bottle is breaking through the door; a similar creative on a building looks like the bottle is breaking through the building; stickers on escalators look like people coming down the escalator are holding bottles of Sprite Xpress; on truck backs, the 3D graphics make it seem like Sprite bottles are falling off the back of the truck; on conveyor belts, a 3D sticker seems like a crate of Sprite Xpress is moving on the belt. Similarly, Sprite Xpress Crate handbags make it look like a person is carrying a crate of Sprite Xpress when they hold the handbag.Mukesh Manik and Tony Graver of EncycloMedia Networks are the chief architects of the OOH media campaign, created using state of the art 3D technology. The launch will be supported by a communication initiative, designed to focus on the theme of mobility. The tagline for the campaign is: ‘Sprite Xpress Ghumo Ghumao?!’afaqs! spoke to the man behind the communication campaign, Ajay Gahlaut, group creative director, O&M Delhi. “The mobility factor of the product is the big idea behind Sprite Xpress. It’s more of a ‘package’ communication, focusing on the new packaging. In the tagline, ‘Ghumo Ghumao’, the word ‘Ghumo’ represents the take it anywhere quality of the product, and ‘Ghumao’ is an attribute of today’s go-getter youth, which symbolises clarity of thought and smartness.” The new pack will be made available in select markets like Delhi and the national capital region, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur.Manik explained the absence of an on the move beverage culture in India. “In India, we choose to stop by at some place for tea, coffee and prefer to carry our snacks. This campaign will alter this trend by providing an on the go beverage option, and therefore, put India at par with international standards,” he says.Though company officials did not reveal the OOH spends for this campaign, it is estimated to be higher than their usual spends, since a range of formats and areas will be leveraged, such as shopping malls, parking areas, elevators, escalators, trains, buses and trucks. Youth hangout zones will have location specific messages, designed to break through the clutter and engage Sprite consumers.With Sprite Xpress, Coca-Cola is going a step ahead in branding, by expressing the fact that the message has to be embedded in the medium. Venkatesh Kini, vice-president, marketing, Coca-Cola India, says, “OOH advertising is not about a standard billboard any more. It is viewed by people who are always on the move, especially youngsters. This campaign is meant to strengthen the brand’s (Sprite Xpress’) youth connect.”The Sprite Xpress 350 ml pack will also be made available in Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Thums Up, Maaza and Kinley Club Soda in the first phase. In the second phase, Fanta, Limca and Minute Maid Pulpy Orange will also be available in this packaging.A television commercial created by O&M Delhi will be launched in October. The commercial, which establishes the portability of Sprite Xpress, has been shot in Malaysia.