CP+B Plays Mind Games for Sprite

ATLANTA Coca-Cola next week begins a push for Sprite with a campaign from Crispin Porter + Bogusky that plays on the word "subliminal," which in the ads is spelled "subLYMONal," a reference to the soda's lemon-lime flavor.Tagged "Obey," this will be the Miami-based shop's first effort for the brand since it added the $40 million account last September.The work includes four 30-second television spots, a 60-second movie trailer and five print ads, as well as billboards and a dedicated Web site. The first two TV spots are scheduled to debut May 25.The campaign spoofs subliminal advertising to some extent, but also contains "embedded content" that can only be identified by viewing the ads in slow motion on a DVR player. That information can be used to gain access to exclusive content on the Sprite site.Each of the spots scheduled to debut next week begins with grainy footage of the new Sprite can and a voiceover saying, "Welcome to subLYMONal advertising. For best results, do not blink." The ads end with a return to the grainy footage and the announcement, "SubLYMONal advertising complete," and a quick-cut image of a man in a suit and sunglasses reaching toward the camera and snapping his fingers, followed by the tagline, "Obey."CP+B shortened the tagline from the previous "Obey your thirst."In "Sumo," two Japanese wrestlers, one painted yellow and one painted green, run toward each other through the woods. Two Volkswagen Beetles, one yellow and one green, are also shown racing toward each other on a beach. When the wrestlers collide, they squeeze the head of a tuxedo-wearing boy between their large bellies. The Beetles then collide, morphing into a single car. (VW is also a CP+B client.)In "Spa," a man lies on a massage table in a stark, white room; one of his eyes is covered with a slice of lemon, the other with a slice of lime. A woman enters and positions a machine over his mouth that dispenses Sprite one drop at a time. When she leaves, the machine moves and begins dribbling the drink onto the man's eye. He wiggles enough to dislodge the slice covering his eye, revealing a small mouth that catches the drops.Coke and CP+B believe the interactive elements of the ads will capture the attention of the drink's core demographic of 14 to 24 year olds."As a brand that focuses on young people, Sprite deserves arresting advertising that cuts through the monotony of ordinary commercials," said Don King, Sprite's North American brand director. "Because our new "subLYMONal" campaign overtly parodies the concept of subliminal advertising and acknowledges up front that the commercials contain hidden content, we are sure that people will want to interact with this advertising."

Brand Marketing

CP+B Plays Mind Games for Sprite

Jim Lovel

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Jim Lovel