Living in Singapore, we all know how the heat can often make a fun day out turn into a sweaty nightmare. Serving as a solution to this is Sprite — the ultimate heat-cutter and your escape from the relentless summer heat.
As more than just a refreshing drink, Sprite has shaped itself into a global force that also pushes the boundaries of the experience with collaborations and activations across the region, which included the partnership with McDonald’s and its introduction of the limited-time Smoky Chilli Mayo McSpicy.
Following Sprite’s takeover on the white-powdery beaches of Boracay in early May, the brand dove deeper into the world of Gen Zs with a Sprite Summer Beach Festival in Da Nang, Vietnam, where the stunning beaches were transformed into an immersive zone complete with live music, and fun beach activities which included a large water slide.
In the evening, a huge crowd gathered for a line-up of popular Vietnamese artists such as Dương Domic, LowG, Rhyder, Jsol, and Hurrykng, who turned up the heat with their hit songs that had the crowd singing along.
So, why the decision to focus on Gen-Zs? Tin Le, Head of Marketing Vietnam & Cambodia for The Coca-Cola Company, told NYLON Singapore that heat sometimes block people from having fun, and for Gen-Zs, they are a group that like to face heated moments in their life with a “cool pep”.
“That’s a beautiful insight and it is one that Sprite has been holding and supporting for Gen-Zs to express themselves in that way,” he said.
This led Tin Le and his team to look at how Sprite could encourage people to have fun, no matter what the temperature was. As this wasn’t the first festival of its kind for Sprite, the decision to hold it in Da Nang was partly influenced by Vietnam’s long coastline.
“Every summer, it is like a promise that we keep with our consumers to bring our activations to the most beautiful beaches in town and in the city.”
He added: “We also like to be able to help the local cities that we are in to welcome more tourists as well, just like the way we did it in Da Nang.”
During the weekend of the Sprite Summer Beach Festival, Da Nang was also playing host to its international fireworks show which had attracted not just domestic tourists, but international ones too.
But beyond that, Sprite had partnered restaurants too, showcasing the perfect pairing between Vietnamese spicy food and a can of Sprite.
“Our humble wish is too make sure the consumers enjoy their spicy food and help the local restaurant owners to expand their businesses to tourists,” said Tin Le.
When asked if there was one word he would use to describe Sprite, Tin Le said, “It would be cool.”
And that’s just not about how it looks. He explained that it is the whole spirit of Sprite and how it reflects the idea of staying cool even in the most heated moments of our lives.
“Cool is about facing any heated moments with a calm head, and that is how you’ll shine.”
