Coca-Cola pulls Sprite Showers activation hours after building them at Bondi Pavilion
The Sprite Showers were similar to activations run in Brazil and Israel
Coca-Cola has unexpectedly pulled a Sprite Showers stunt set to be held at Bondi Beach this weekend after it had already been built, citing “unforeseen circumstances” beyond its control.
The activation, which saw a giant post-mix Sprite machine set up in front of the Bondi Pavilion, has run in the past in Brazil and Israel. It also sees ‘Sprite Savers’ on beaches giving away a complimentary Sprite Zero. The Sprite Showers stunt was intended to tour through February and March.
The stunt was supposed to run over the weekend, however posts on Instagram this afternoon said it was being packed up three-days ahead of schedule, having only just been built. Bondi is also hosting the Bowlarama skateboarding competition this weekend.
Coca-Cola confirmed the activation, created by Urban, had been cancelled, saying: “It unfortunately has had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control. We are currently planning to reschedule the event.”
The company declined to comment further on why the event was postponed. A comment on a post on Instagram said the activation had been pulled by the client.
The activation is part of a wider campaign, created by McCann, which aims to position Sprite, and Sprite Zero, as the beverages that ‘cut through the heat’, with the campaign running across digital, outdoor, proximity media and point-of-sale throughout February and March. The outdoor component sees fog screens and misting panels help deliver the ‘Cut through the heat’ tagline.
Ongoing social activity will run until July.
Digital video content, which kicks off on Monday, aims to show how Sprite enables customers to cut through awkward moments, featuring a Sprite Saver.
Sprite brand manager Samuel Way said: ““We understand the awkward and heated situations our consumers face every day – from disastrous first dates to sweltering down at the beach. Our investment in the Cut Through the Heat campaign is designed to drive awareness that only Sprite can truly provide that instant refreshment, empowering you to cut through.”
The campaign coincides with the rollout of new Sprite Zero packaging in Australia.
Agency credits:
- UM –Media Buy
- McCann – Creative
- Urban – Experiential
- Mix Inc – Shopper & Packaging
- Pulse Communications – Trade media
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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Who forgot to get the event permit?
We’ll find out when they’re dropped from the Coke roster
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This campaign is just a rinse and repeat of overseas activity anyway, not excited by it.
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Why is no one putting these two news stories together? Cyclone is hitting Queensland.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-31544694
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More likely to have something to do with this
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-.....3k9gj.html
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Waverley Council is pretty careful with what it allows at the beach, and this looks like a full-on commercialization of this tightly observed public space.
With the sand and park routinely littered with branded packaging from the full range of Coca-Cola Amatil products, Bondi Beach is hardly an appropriate venue for Sprite’s nasty promotional event (imported creative misses the local mark again!).
I understand that there are moves for the Bondi Beach’s Clean Up Australia Day on 1 March 2015 to adopt the very effective tactic of returning branded littler directly to the businesses which produced it…
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Lucky they did not promote Mellow Yellow as it would have been a “golden shower” …*boom tish*
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