Sprite (soft drink)

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Chinese Sprite

Sprite is a clear soda, lemon-lime flavored, caffeine free soft drink, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced to 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 green and blue can or a green transparent bottle with a primarily green and blue label.

History

Originating in Germany as Fanta Klare Zitrone ("Clear Lemon Fanta"), Sprite was introduced to the United States in 1961 to compete against 7-Up. 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-lime soda category in 1989.

Global naming

Sprite, as a lemon-lime soda, is referred to by consumers around the world in a variety of ways. It is called lemonade in Australia and New Zealand. In Ireland and Canada, Sprite and 7-up are interchangeable and, when asked, a person may say Sprite or 7-up to mean the same drink. In South Africa, Sprite and Schweppes Lemonade are almost interchangeable. In some parts of Switzerland, Sprite (or any other type of lemonade) is also known simply as citro. In China, it is called 雪碧 (Pinyin: xuĕ bì, roughly pronounced as "shway bee"), literally "snow-jade."

Glass bottle of Sprite.

Marketing

Over the years, Sprite advertising has used the portmanteau word "lymon," combining the words "lemon" and "lime," to describe the flavor of the drink. Recently, Sprite commercials have begun utilizing very quick and rapid way of presentation, also known as subliminal advertising.^[1] This method has been dubbed "sublymonal" in the commercials. These advertisements were launched in conjunction with the soda's logo being redesigned. In 2004, Coke created Miles Thirst, a vinyl doll voiced by Reno Wilson, used in advertising to exploit the growing hip-hop market for soft drinks. ^[2] In June 2006 the new Sprite logo began to make its debut on Sprite bottles and cans. The "Sublymonal" campaign was also used as part of the alternate reality game The Lost Experience.^{[citation needed]} In 2000, Sprite commissioned graffiti artist, Temper to design a limited edition can which saw the design on 100 million cans across Europe.

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 the UK, it is recognised by its slogan "Get The Right Sprite", based on adverts containing an alternate sprite, a green sickly goblin that causes irritation and trouble to those who acquire it by accident.

Ingredients

The ingredients in the American version are: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate and sodium benzoate.

Variations

• Sprite Zero: 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, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Europe, 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.
• Sprite Remix: Fruit-flavored variations first introduced in the United States in 2003. A different flavor was available in 2004, and finally 2005. Its production has been around 11.6 billion bottles per year.

Three Sprite cans produced in China (from left to right): Sprite Icy Mint, Sprite On Fire, and Sprite

• Sprite Ice: A mint-flavored Sprite that made its debut in Korea in 2002 as Sprite Blue, and as Sprite Ice in Canada and Sprite Ice Cube in Belgium in 2003. Sprite Ice Blue was introduced in Italy and China in 2004, and in Chile on the summer of 2005. There is also Sprite Lemon Lime Mint.
• Sprite Duo: A variation of Sprite with lemon juice and less gas and sugar available in Spain in cans and 1.5 PET bottles. It was introduced in spring 2007.^[7]
• Sprite on Fire: A ginger flavored variation marketed as having a burning sensation. It was introduced in Hong Kong in 2003. This flavor also debuted in China in 2004. Available in some areas as Sprite Finger Lemon.
• Sprite Super Lemon: It was also introduced in Hong Kong in 2003.
• Sprite Dry Lemon: Not available in U.S.
• Sprite Lemon Lime Herb: Not available in U.S.
• Sprite 3G: 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 (the company that do the adverts for the Sprite drink) had developed the next generation of the trademark Sprite goblin. "It keeps you sharp".^{[citation needed]} Sprite 3G has since been discontinued in the UK.^[8]
• Sprite Recharge: An energy drink.
• Chinotto marketed as lemon-lime soda in some countries in South America by Coca-Cola as replacement of Sprite (Sprite uses the name Chinotto in countries like Venezuela). Its taste is very similar to Sprite.
• Sprite Super Chilled An anticipated product that uses technology that will create ice inside the bottle once opened^[9]

See also

• Soft drink
• Coca-Cola

References

External links

• Sprite official website