Sprite makes splash with refreshed look for Chinese market

Soft drink brand Sprite has unveiled a bold new look in China and launched an all-new no sugar series.

The new brand identity represents an innovative reimagining of the iconic soft drink brand that has been popular in the Chinese market for 38 years.

Sprite's refreshed look aims to give China's young consumers exactly what they want, by providing a youthful, modern and bold appearance, and expanded choice via the all-new Sprite no sugar portfolio.

The design also makes Sprite products more easily identifiable on the shelf. Accompanying the branding is a new no sugar mint flavor as well as no sugar fiber among Sprite's range of products.

China is Sprite's biggest market globally in terms of sales volume. Being "iconic" is in Sprite's brand DNA, and so it always keeps up with the latest consumer trends and continuously innovates its product range.

"Sprite is an iconic mega-brand in China, loved by consumers of all ages and from all walks of life. I feel incredibly proud that we are the first market globally to launch this new bold brand identity, together with a range of innovative premium no sugar choices," said Ella Liu, vice-president of marketing, Greater China, at The Coca-Cola Company, Sprite's parent company.

"We have reinvented this iconic brand to refresh a new generation of consumers in China, together with all of our existing consumers," Liu said.

Youthful design

The new brand identity is an almost complete redesign of nearly every aspect of Sprite's appearance, ranging from the iconic new Chinese logo, to bottle labeling, bottle caps and secondary packaging. The branding was co-designed by the company's China marketing team together with their global counterparts.

By highlighting iconic brand elements while eliminating unnecessary details, the new design aims to make Sprite stand out even more and make a bold statement to a generation of consumers who express themselves more boldly than ever.

"The new brand identity for Sprite is sharp and clear－it cuts through the noise and conveys confidence as an iconic brand," said Rapha Abreu, global design director at The Coca-Cola Company.

"The new identity is bold and embraces the audacity of self-expression by being dynamic, distinctive and modern."

Jasmin Vinculado, global sparkling flavors president at The Coca-Cola Company, said, "In line with values we believe, and Generation Z consumers identify with, the new Sprite brand identity stands for boldness and clarity."

Generation Z refers to those born between 1995 and 2009.

"We are confident that fans in China will enjoy this new look and will continue to stay even more refreshed and cool whenever they face heat, with a 'new look' Sprite," Vinculado said.

Landmark launch

With a history of 38 years in China, Sprite has long been loved by generations of Chinese consumers. While celebrating its heritage, Sprite also wants to add greater emphasis on its appeal directly to young people. By engaging young consumers through a multichannel approach directly relevant to their lives and interests, Sprite aims to reveal itself as the cool and cutting-edge choice for this moment and for the future.

To announce the news of Sprite's latest look to as many customers as possible and spark their curiosity and excitement, the brand has rolled out an extensive advertising and marketing campaign. This campaign has been led by the CEOs of the two bottling partners and features promotional trade activities and livestreams introducing a vast range of special promotions for Sprite fans across the nation.

Consumers can hardly miss the new branding, with its adorning billboards, promoted in pop-up stores in major shopping centers and appearing in multimedia and social media. With this exciting launch across China, the new-look Sprite is set to capture the imagination and drive excitement among both longtime fans and a new generation of cool young consumers.

By building a unique connection with Generation Z, the launch of Sprite's new brand identity is just part of Sprite's wider strategy to define itself as the beverage for all those who pursue coolness, trendiness and cutting-edge lifestyles.

Sprite's latest launch in China sets the tone and is the precursor for further rollouts in the company's other global markets.