Sprite LeBron Mix

via The Dieline
Sprite collaborates with famed basketball star LeBron James to reintroduce a one of a kind Sprite mix. By combining cherry and orange, a new flavor was born alongside some brand-new bottle packaging. Sprite's classic green-tinted bottle is draped in red with custom type and LeBron's initials in the background. Finally, Crown iconography and dashes of gold symbolize the superstar's most popular nickname — "King James."

FUZE Iced Tea and Mr. T Team Up for a Flavor-charged Summer

via Market Watch

ATLANTA, Jun 23, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- This summer, FUZE is putting an end to the “jibber jabber” and launching a campaign designed to introduce people to its line of bold, flavor-charged iced teas. The brand has enlisted celebrated actor and one-time professional wrestler and bodyguard-to-the-stars, Mr. T, to be the new face of FUZE.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here:http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150623006070/en/

The cornerstone of the campaign is an all-new 30-second spot, “Butterflyz,” starring the venerable pop culture icon in perhaps his most unique role to-date. The ad, which will debut in an extensive digital buy beginning today, also will live on FuzeBev.com.

The spot features a “butterfly” played by the larger-than-life Mr. T, floating above a park bench. With his trademark gold chains and penchant for rhymes, he talks to a woman sipping a bottle of FUZE Iced Tea and reinforces the drink’s bold taste as dozens of look-alike Mr. T butterflies gather around her. The spot concludes with a winged Mr. T bench-pressing a daisy in a humorous nod to his legendary tough persona.

The digital spot, along with a 15-second version, will appear between June and October on media properties such as YouTube, Xbox, MediaBrix and Spotify. In addition to the ad, the fully-integrated campaign includes a variety of social content, out-of-home ads, experiential sampling stops and retail activations throughout the summer.

In social media, fans who tag their photos with #fuzify and #flavorchargedtea will have a little “flavor” added using colorful visual special effects. A Mr. T-themed van will visit select markets and offer fans samples of a variety of FUZE Iced Tea flavors. They also will have a chance to win prizes like Mr. T FUZE T-shirts, temporary tattoos and, of course, FUZE branded “gold” chains.

“This is the first major, integrated campaign supporting the FUZE Iced Tea brand, and we know current and future fans are going to love what Mr. T brings to the table,” said Geoff Henry, Group Director, Tea, Coca-Cola North America. “What better way to communicate that FUZE is a bold, flavor-charged iced tea than to partner with the one and only, Mr. T?”

“You can’t have tea without Mr. T, fool,” said Mr. T, star of The A-Team and Rocky III. “FUZE Iced Tea is just like the butterfly I play in the commercial. Just when you think you know what to expect, boom! Something bold, unique and exciting happens! I pity the fool who doesn’t try it this summer!”

Fans can visit FuzeBev.com throughout the summer to enjoy and interact with fun and original content starring Mr. T, including:

• Place you or your friend in a digital headlock or toast with Mr. T and take your very own “Self-T” against a variety of flavor-charged backgrounds
• Send your friend a “bold” phone call from Mr. T, in which he expresses what he most admires about the person in a fun and light-hearted manner
• Watch weekly videos called “It’s T-Time,” which feature Mr. T providing tips on everything from throwing a flavor-charged tea party to looking “butterfly” and offering general life advice
• Download digital alarm-tone and text-tones such as “Don’t press snooze, grab a FUZE” and “Your phone’s ringing, fool!”

“Our new digital creative, combined with a season filled with marketing activations is designed to communicate – and celebrate – the great taste of bold, flavor-charged FUZE Iced Tea in a light-hearted and highly engaging way. We think people will respond enthusiastically to the campaign and look forward to reaching even greater heights throughout the summer,” said Henry.

Drake's View from the 6 - Obey Your Thirst

via The Fader

Watch "Drake - Obey  your Thirst (Episode 1)"

At 28, Drake is a superstar—the only guy who could dethrone Taylor Swift on the charts with a mixtape. But he doesn't see top sellers or legends as his rivals. "I’m not worried about these other rappers, I’m not competing with those guys," he says in the above Obey Your Thirst documentary, created by The FADER and Sprite. "I already know their hand, I know their move. I study everything. I’m worried about the kid that’s sitting in his house that wants to be better than me and all those guys. That’s who I’m competing with."

In this rare interview, Drake opens up about emerging from an underdog city, internet culture, and rap's increasingly level playing field. Coming up in Toronto, he explains, people told him to move to New York if he was serious about making it. Instead, he stayed where he was and made history by proving that if you’re a truly "multi-layered" artist, you can make it from anywhere. “Do it the way I did it," he says. "Do it from where you’re at. If you have the music, that's all it takes."

Watch the full documentary above, and stay tuned for three more, sharing the stories of Nas, Vince Staples, and Isaiah Rashad.

Drake Interview With Sprite - Says "Do It The Way I Did"

via Inquisitr

View Drake - "Obey Your Thirst"

Drake has made it. There’s no doubt about his level of success. Even now, fans are anxiously awaiting his Views from the 6 album. In a recent documentary, Drizzy says to “do it” the way he did it.

What exactly does he mean? Well, Drake’s from Toronto. It wasn’t exactly the mecca of worldwide music stars at the time — like Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York City, Nashville, etc. Drizzy’s music didn’t become stifled though. He was determined not to allow it’s location be a hindrance to his success.

As Fader mentions, Drake’s performances began in his hometown. Though it’s grown in notoriety, there were humble beginnings.

“Instead of traveling to a larger hub to get hot, he planted his feet and dedicated himself to putting his city on the map. Years later, having achieved that goal, he’s helped rewrite the rulebook of rap success.”

In a collaborative documentary with Sprite and Fader, Drake discusses his thoughts about being successful in the music industry. Aubrey Graham quotes as follows.

“Rap music has always been about story-telling. I’ve never seen the sense in crafting a story that isn’t my own. All I did was find a way to make people proud of our city. Do it the way I did it. Do it from where you at. If you have the music, that’s all it takes.

“Present it to the world, and they’ll tell you if it’s worth their time or not…Just rapping is really not that impressive anymore. There just has to be more. You have to be a multi-layered artist.”

The companies released an extended version of the trailer as well.
 
View the Teaser Here

However, the full documentary will release on Wednesday, June 24, 2015. It includes Drake, Vince Staples, Nas, and Isaiah Rashad. Will you watch?

Coke Collaborates with Luxury Brand Trussardi for Design Centennial

via Paste Magazine

Coca-Cola (or really any soda for that matter) is an inexpensive luxury, but a luxury nonetheless. So for the 100th anniversary of the famous cola’s bottle design, the iconic cans and bottles were pimped out accordingly.

The beverage giant partnered with Italian luxury apparel and accessories brandTrussardi to commemorate the classic design’s centennial. The collaboration gave way to at least five different designs that share both the Coca-Cola and Trussardi name.

Three of the designs are displayed on Coca-Cola Light tin cans. One is wrapped in a gold snake skin pattern, while the other two are covered in a neon green, purple and blue pattern. All three have the words “Elegantly Cool” printed in a bold, sans serif typeface, nestled in between the two famous logos. The classic Coca-Cola bottles were painted in a similar pattern, instead colored with mixes of dark red and brown — the colors of both brands — and gold.

The designer cans and bottles are set to be introduced at Expo Milano 2015, which is a six-month showcase in Milan, Italy that aims to find answers to generating sustainable, healthy food while respecting the environment. The expo began in May. No word on any releases in the U.S.

Mountain Dew Shows Us What Twitter Looks Like With Autoplay

via AdWeek

Twitter unleashed its autoplay videos earlier today, and Mountain Dew wasted little time demonstrating what the development might mean, visually speaking. The PespiCo-owned soda brand put together five GIF-based clips for the platform. 

Check out Mountain Dew's early efforts.

Autoplay lets marketers use GIFs, videos and Vines. Mountain Dew, which has 459,000 Twitter followers and probably wanted to be among the first brands to use the new feature, likely chose GIFs because they can be created quickly. 

Moving forward, expect to see a lot more multimedia in your news feed that starts automatically.

Coca-Cola Invites the World to Reach up and Support the Special Olympics World Games 2015 Los Angeles

via GNN Liberia

ATLANTA, June 17, 2015 --(BUSINESS WIRE/ME NewsWire)-- This summer, Los Angeles will welcome 7,000 inspirational athletes from 177 different countries to the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. Supporting children and adults with intellectual disabilities, the World Games is the largest sports and humanitarian event on the globe.

To celebrate, The Coca-Cola Company, Founding Partner of Special Olympics, has assembled a star-studded team to record a unified song for the World Games, titled “Reach Up.” The new song debuts today and will be performed during the World Games. ESPN is the official broadcaster of the World Games and will have a three-hour live telecast of the Opening Ceremony beginning at 9 p.m. ET featuring Robin Roberts, co-host of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and ESPN’s Lindsay Czarniak and Kevin Negandhi.

“Reach Up” features rock band O.A.R., recording artist Cody Simpson and, accompanied by Breanna Bogucki, a singer and decorated Special Olympics athlete from Illinois who has Autism, and Madison Tevlin, a young Canadian woman with Down syndrome who became a viral sensation earlier this year. Written by Marc Roberge, lead singer of O.A.R., Nathan Chapman and Kevin Kadish the uplifting alternative-rock song encourages people of all abilities to never give up.

Inspired by Special Olympics Unified Sports – a program that brings athletes with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same team to compete – “Reach Up” embodies the values of optimism, acceptance and inclusion shared by Coca-Cola and Special Olympics.

“In all our lives, we’ve been touched by somebody who may not have been born with all the opportunities we were. At the end of the day, we are all doing the exact same thing - trying to appreciate this daily life that we’re given,” said Marc Roberge, lead singer of O.A.R. “I feel like the lucky one, being able to spend time and learn from two incredible individuals - Madison and Bree - involved with Coca-Cola for something as special and as important as the Special Olympics World Games. ‘Reach Up’ is an anthem. I want people to hear it and feel like they can do anything.”

Fans can support Special Olympics by sharing the “Reach Up” music video on social media using the hashtag #ReachUp. Coca-Cola will donate one dollar – up to $100,000 – to Special Olympics for every “Reach Up” video share using the hashtag leading up to the World Games.

Fans can listen to “Reach Up” on Spotify and learn more about the musicians’ story on Coca-Cola Journey.

The Coca-Cola Company is the Founding Partner and Global Sponsor of Special Olympics, the world’s largest health and sports organization dedicated to people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Since 1968 – Special Olympics’ inception – the Company has maintained a deep commitment to the organization and has provided more than $190 million in support of its programs through product, equipment, donations and marketing support.

Motive Trolls Coke for Pepsi

via Agency Spy

Motive launched a new campaign for Pepsi entitled “But Only with Pepsi,” which mocks two Coca-Cola marketing devices: the brand’s polar bear mascot and “Share a Coke with…” name on a bottle packaging. Two new 15-second spots bring the take-downs while hyping Pepsi’s summer promotion offering consumers the chance to win concert tickets.

Watch the spot here.

Both ads open with a voiceover announcing, “This summer you can win tickets every hour to concerts of your choice” as two friends each buy a soda from a vending machine, one a Pepsi and the other a Coke, before the voiceover adds, “…but only with Pepsi.” In the ad with the more better takedown, a girl turns to her friend and says, “At least your name’s on the bottle,” to which she replies, “Do I look like a Larry to you?” It’s a succinct yet effective criticism of the name on a bottle stunt, emphasizing its randomness. A second spot sees a guy reassure his friend, “You still got the polar bear.” The spots promote the Pepsi Pass loyalty program app, which will offer consumers the chance to win tickets to concerts and even the MLB All Star game, as well as dining points at participating restuarants by scanning the barcode on Pepsi products.

“We know that there are few things that grab our fans’ attention as much as seeing our beloved blue and that red next to each other,” Linda Lagos, brand marketing and digital director for Pepsi, told Ad Age. “It’s done well for us in the past, and it’s just something that we know works and that they love to see."

Watch the second spot here.

Drake, Nas Star In New Sprite Commercial

via Billboard

Drake and Nas co-star in a new commercial for Sprite that debuted during the NBA Finals on Sunday (June 14), marking Drake's first TV ad for the brand in five years.

Watch the spot here. 

Set to Drake's "0 To 100," the 30-second spot consists of footage from Drake and Nas' concert for the citrus soda during NBA All-Star Weekend in February at New York's Irving Plaza, and is designed to promote Sprite "Obey Your Verse" -- a newly released line of limited-edition cans featuring 16 classic hip-hop lyrics, including five bars apiece from Drake and Nas. The spot, created with ad agency Wieden + Kennedy, synchs up with one of Drake's cans, which features the "0 To 100" line "Know yourself / know your worth." 

 Sprite VP Kimberly Paige recently told Billboard that other hip-hop surprises are in store for the "Obey Your Verse" campaign this summer. "We’re gonna look at everything we do and how to bring it life in the marketplace, which will unfold over the next couple of weeks," she said. 

Though it remains an active sponsor of the NBA and several other key TV events throughout the year, Sprite was a relatively modest marketer in 2014. The brand spent a little over $10 million on measured media, according to Kantar Media.

Pepsi Pops Open Ultimate Fan Experiences This Summer

via PR News Wire

PURCHASE, N.Y., June 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer is here and Pepsi is making it memorable by delivering incredible, one-of-a-kind fan experiences to some of the hottest music and sporting events, restaurants and travel destinations. Today, the brand announced how it will kick off the season and deliver on its promise of unforgettable moments and exciting prizes with a summer campaign paired with an innovative app inviting fans to "pop open music every hour."

Starting now and continuing through the season, Pepsi is rewarding fans and their friends with the opportunity to win tickets to their choice of thousands of concerts, every hour. Additionally, fans will have the chance to access unique music experiences through Pepsi's new loyalty program and app, Pepsi Pass. Pepsi Pass is a rewards-based application (available on iOS and Android devices) where consumers earn points by entering and scanning codes on select Pepsi single serve products. In an innovative take on loyalty, Pepsi is also rewarding fans for having fun, enabling them to earn points by simply hanging out with their friends who also have the app. By downloading and signing up for Pepsi Pass, consumers can enter for a chance at hourly ticket prizing, or access a universe of prizes ranging from trips to the summer's top music festivals and concerts, a VIP experience during MLB All-Star Week in Cincinnati and dining credit with a range of Pepsi partner restaurants. 

"Pepsi's goal every year is to be at the pulse of pop culture and bring fans closer to the musicians, athletes and experiences they love," said Linda Lagos, Brand Marketing and Digital Director, Pepsi. "Nothing says summer like outdoor music festivals and live sporting events. We are excited to launch our 'Pop Open Music' campaign and Pepsi Pass, which will deliver unprecedented access to these experiences to more of our fans."

Here is a sampling of how Pepsi will deliver on amazing experiences and prizes this summer:

• Pepsi, through its new partnership with Live Nation, will send fans on a VIP experience to one of summer's most buzzed about music festivals, Lollapalooza.
• Pepsi and iHeartRadio join forces for another season to bring fans tickets to the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.
• Pepsi will send a few lucky fans to the MTV Video Music Awards in August.
• Summer would not be complete without baseball and Pepsi is working with MLB to bring VIP experiences to fans including an MLB All-Star Week package, viewing of batting practice, field-level tickets to regular season games and more.
• Hundreds of hospitality and food prizes await fans including hotel stays at SLS Las Vegas and Miamiand gift cards for Applebee's, Hard Rock Cafe and more.

Media supporting Pepsi Summer feature two :15 second television spots including the new hit single "Different Colors" from recording artists WALK THE MOON, and "We Make it Bounce" from celebrity DJ and producer Dillon Francis. The spots, which highlight the fan fun and experiences that await, are running on national and local broadcast outlets.