What do kids in China and the U.S. have in common?
Cell phones.
That’s what Sprite is banking on as it launches The Sprite Yard, a social network accessible only through mobile phones. It debuted in both countries last month, and will be expanded to other markets next year.
Sprite, the first lemon-and-lime soft drink, was launched by Coca-Cola in 1961. It is now the No. 3 carbonated beverage in the world, with 10 billion single-serve packages sold each year.
Denis Sison, the global brand manager for Sprite corporate marketing, talked with Promo about the challenges of launching in a Communist country and more.
PROMO: Why did you pick China for the debut of The Sprite Yard?
Sison: As in the U.S., teens and young adults form more than 50% of unit consumption.
P: Do you market to Chinese teens differently than you do to those in the U.S.?
S: We believe that teens are fundamentally the same all around the world. What changes is the way they find meaning in our brand.
P: What’s the common denominator?
S: They spend a lot of time on their mobile phones. They want instant gratification. They connect socially through friends and we think that it’s a natural fit in terms of the functionalities that we’ve built on The Yard. And it fits with what the brand wants to achieve from a media and marketing standpoint.
P: How will you keep them coming back for more?
S: Every time someone buys a single serve, they get a code to access Nuggets, or downloadable goodies that offer instant gratification. So there is added value every time you purchase a Sprite and it might just encourage you to keep going back for more. It’s not just about making connections.
P: If not, what else is it about?
S: As long as we have content that is compelling and both interesting and sharable — virally, we hope — we believe that will enhance the value of the brand in the eyes of our consumer.
P: What challenges do you face operating a social network in China?
S: We’ve had to make adjustments to the backend infrastructure — the nuts and bolts of how the systems are set up. And there are rules related to content. The Chinese agencies look at whether the content is appropriate. We haven’t had any problems.
P: Are you concerned about the Chinese government monitoring your content, and that exchanged among users?
S: We make sure that we abide by all local regulations. We are also making sure that it is a socially responsible site. Therefore, we have put in place a series of security and moderation techniques that we apply to filter out swear words and other inappropriate things. If a swear word comes through in any messaging, we have a filtering system that changes that to the words lemon and lime. The experience must be up not only to government standards, but to company standards as well.
P: Do you have any local partners?
S: In China we have partnered with Sohu, the largest Web portal in the country. Sohu facilitates the transfers of messages via the Yard and helps us comply with regulations.
P: How do you keep the Sprite brand fresh after all these years?
S: There’s the message and the medium. We consistently review our brand message in each market to make sure it is relevant and connecting with consumers. The medium, which in this case is the mobile platform, is an important element in staying relevant. The Yard will help us build longer-lasting consumer relationships.
P: What do you say to critics who suggest that The Sprite Yard could become the BudTV of the soft drink world?
S: We recognize that this is a new space for Sprite. It is a ground-breaking project for a brand of this size and stature. With that come risks that we have to be able to manage.
For more on consumer promotions, go to www.promomagazine.com
Network
