Dive overview:
- Sprite is celebrating 50 years of hip-hop with a star-studded summer campaign across TV, OTT, online video, movies and social, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
- To mark the milestone, the brand unveiled Sprite Limonade Legacy in themed packaging and limited edition flavors. Rappers Nas, Rakim, Latto and GloRilla will appear in new spots and consumers will have the chance to win content and merchandise by scanning his QR code inside the pack.
- Sprite also sponsors Drake’s “It’s All A Blur” tour. The effort is the latest for the hip-hop-focused Coca-Cola brand, and follows a similar effort by the brand celebrating its 50th anniversary milestone.
Dive Insight:
Sprite makes a big appearance at Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, reinforcing its decades-long ties to the hip-hop industry. In 1986, the brand cast rapper Curtis Blow in the “Now More Than Ever” spot, making it one of the first mainstream brands to feature hip-hop in a national ad, according to release details. Since then, the brand has collaborated with famous artists such as his LL Cool J and his A Tribe Called Quest.
“Our resume says it all,” AP Cheney, creative director of Sprite North America, said in a statement. “Sprite took a chance on hip-hop before it got cool and was always part of the culture, not just for the sake of it.”
To celebrate this, the brand has updated the original Sprite package with a new design inspired by boomboxes, mixers and studio gear. A similar package will also appear in the limited-time Limonade Legacy (the brand’s take on Strawberry Lemonade), a flavor chosen after consumer requests on social media.
Additionally, Sprite brought together Nas, Rakim, Rat and Glorilla for “Icon’s Delight,” a one-minute spot produced to a remixed version of Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight.” The spot will also air in his 6s, 15s and 30s segments across social media, connected TV, linear TV, online video and movies.
All summer long, consumers will be able to scan a QR code on the reimagined Sprite packaging for exclusive content featuring Rat and Rakim, as well as signed Eggplant hats, Glorilla tour tees, Rat’s Access a digital “Drop Shop” with hundreds of giveaways, including gold and other merchandise. Mike and Rakim’s directorial slate during the shoot of “Icon’s Delight.”
Sprite will also serve as the primary beverage sponsor for Drake’s upcoming tour, which begins June 17. The brand will use the opportunity to hand out experiential giveaways, including lifetime passes to the hip-hop music festival Rolling Loud and meet-and-greet with Drake. . Sprite has been partnering with the rapper for over a decade, beginning with the 2012 “Spark” multinational campaign, making this his first global deal.
Other marketers have similarly announced initiatives to promote hip-hop milestones. In March, Remy Martin launched the Mixtape Street Art Museum. The museum used his QR code on a street mural to share the story of the famous DJ. That same month, Amazon Music launched its “50 & Forever” program to pay tribute to the genre, kicking off the celebration with a short film inspired by Queen Latifah’s iconic song “UNITY.”
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