The article discusses the marketing campaign for Sprite’s new super-lemon line, which was designed to evoke a strong, edgy sensation, as opposed to conventional flavors like strawberry or watermelon. The campaign, created by Ogilvy & Mather Advertising for Coca-Cola Co, featured two television commercials targeting mid-teens and emphasized Sprite’s tingly aftertaste. The campaign’s success is evident in the significant sales increase of 44% in Hong Kong, surpassing the initial target of 12%, and boosting Sprite’s market share from the forecasted 7% to 9.3%. The contrasting opinions of two sisters, six-year-old Lavender who enjoys the flavor and the amusing TV commercial, and her elder sister Mabel who finds the drink weird and unappealing, align with the campaign’s aim to appeal to a specific taste and sensation.
For six-year-old Lavender Yip, Sprite's new super-lemon line is the flavour of the season.
'It is bitter but exciting - and the TV commercial is amusing,' says the Primary One girl, who cannot help demonstrating the scrunched facial expressions of the actors in the Sprite advertisement.
'It is not a pitch for strawberry or watermelon,' says O&M creative director Simon Handford. 'We packaged it as an extreme kind of sensation or a sharp, cool and shivering feeling.'
The two television commercials for Sprite Ice and Sprite Super Lemon, launched in April last year targeting mid-teens, featured young people hooked on Sprite's tingly aftertaste.
The advertising agency was also involved in designing the graphics on the Sprite can and in other marketing activities. 'Sprite is never mainstream - it is a bit edgy,' says O&M business director Gladys Wong. 'We didn't create the flavour but we introduced that feeling into the market.'
Sprite's positioning has proved successful in a highly competitive market where at least five ice or lemon-flavoured soft drinks jostle for consumer attention - and dollars. Sprite's overall sales in Hong Kong jumped by 44 per cent last year from a year earlier, against a target of 12 per cent. Overall market share increased to 9.3 per cent at the end of last year, up from a 7 per cent forecast.
對於六歲的薰衣草葉來說，雪碧的新超級檸檬系列是這個季節的風味。
「這很痛苦，但很令人興奮——而且電視廣告很有趣，」小學一年級的女孩說，她情不自禁地展示了雪碧廣告中演員們皺起的面部表情。
但她 10 歲的姐姐梅布爾強烈反對。 「這種飲料很奇怪，」她說。 “我嘗試過喝一口，但我不會再喝了。”
對於負責可口可樂公司雪碧行銷活動的奧美廣告公司（O&M）來說，姊妹倆的相反觀點恰到好處。
「這不是草莓或西瓜的宣傳，」O&M 創意總監 Simon Handford 說。 “我們把它包裝成一種極端的感覺，或者一種尖銳、涼爽和顫抖的感覺。”
雪碧冰和雪碧超級檸檬的兩個電視廣告於去年四月推出，針對青少年，廣告中年輕人對雪碧的刺痛餘味著迷。
該廣告公司還參與了雪碧罐上的圖形設計以及其他行銷活動。 O&M 業務總監 Gladys Wong 表示，「雪碧從來都不是主流——它有點前衛」。 “我們沒有創造這種味道，但我們將這種感覺引入市場。”
事實證明，雪碧的定位在競爭激烈的市場中是成功的，在這個市場上，至少有五種冰味或檸檬味軟性飲料爭奪消費者的注意力和金錢。 雪碧去年在香港的整體銷售額年增 44%，而目標為 12%。 截至去年底，整體市佔率增至 9.3%，高於預期的 7%。