"Heat happens, stay cool." - How did this beverage brand diffuse heated moments in the 2022 World Cup?
Curious to know what we’re talking about? Keep reading below to learn more! |
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"Heat happens, stay cool." - How did this beverage brand diffuse heated moments in the 2022 World Cup? BIG names… BIG brands… BIG viewership numbers… That’s how the 2022 Qatar World Cup was described. Additionally, being in a desert-y region, the World Cup was considered as “hotter than ever.” … but it wasn’t just the geography that made the event “hot.” Any guesses on what the other heat factor was? The 225 yellow card moments. (A referee will hold up a yellow card to indicate a player has committed a “cautionable” offense.) Woah. Just imagine how hot the tension was at that time—both on the side of the players and the fans! So, to help reduce such “heated” moments, one beverage brand hijacked the Qatar World Cup. The name of this brand? Sprite!
Hijacking the World Cup One Yellow Card at a Time For decades, Sprite positioned its lemon-lime drink as the ultimate summer “cool down.” This worked—in fact, this unique selling proposition (USP) worked a little too well! Demand soared each summer… BUT, as the weather got colder, sales of the beverage brand declined. With Sprite’s new campaign, “Heat Happens, Stay Cool,” the brand reframed itself as a year-round antidote to moments of physical and mental heat. What major cultural event gets more heated than the FIFA World Cup? In this case, none. So, Sprite focused its campaign on the yellow card.
The campaign’s premise was that when there’s heat, there’s an opportunity for Sprite to cool things down. However, without an official FIFA sponsorship deal, how could Sprite do that? The answer lies in guerrilla marketing. Here’s what the brand did… It’s no surprise that when a referee shows a yellow card to a player, it’s a significant moment in any football game, not just the player in question. With that, football fans can get upset, disappointed, or even outraged knowing that their favorite player is only one card away from being banned from the game. Basically, it’s one heat-filled moment that only Sprite can own and quench! So, to address this issue, Sprite turned to MIGU, China’s biggest live streaming sports platform… and in a World Cup-first, the brand bought the smallest media space it could think of: The yellow card. Throughout the entire World Cup, whenever a yellow card was issued, live in-game triggers pushed alerts across multiple platforms, connected devices, and digital outdoor in real time. The copies on the yellow cards? Anything that would help fans calm down their raging emotions AND a free ice-cold Sprite to help them cool down! The digital yellow cards came with instructions on how fans could receive their free Sprite.
Was Sprite’s “Heat Happens, Stay Cool” campaign effective? Sprite became unmissable during the World Cup broadcast in China. Ads appeared exactly at the yellow card moment along with in-app, pre-game, and half-time advertising, as well as commentary on the activation by studio hosts. What’s more? Sprite also joined social conversations with witty real-time yellow card commentaries. Furthermore, amplification via influencers inspired more fans to join the discussion and claim their free Sprite. Other results of the one-day campaign include:
Truly, Sprite hit the jackpot in this clever marketing stunt! Kudos to the campaign team! — This campaign shows the importance of knowing, first and foremost, your brand’s USP. In the case of Sprite, its campaign team knew and understood that the beverage brand is known for its “cool down” image, especially during summer, through and through. The only difference they did in this campaign was to inform consumers that instead of just reducing physical heat, Sprite can also be helpful in reducing mental and emotional heat. As a result, the campaign was able to brand Sprite as the “ultimate” refreshment in customers’ minds. Did you learn something from today’s guerrilla marketing feature? Take inspiration from Sprite’s “Heat Happens, Stay Cool” campaign! Know what your brand, product, or service is REALLY, VERY good at. From there, think of an outside-of-the-box strategy that will help you capture—or recapture—your target market’s attention. You can do it! We’re cheering for you. … and in case you find yourself overheating because of too much thinking or brainstorming, remember that you can always gulp a bottle of Sprite. Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing! Do you want to know how this organization raised awareness for breast cancer? Find out in next week’s article! |
Miles Everson
CEO of MBO Partners and former Global Advisory and Consulting CEO at PwC, Everson has worked with many of the world's largest and most prominent organizations, specializing in executive management. He helps companies balance growth, reduce risk, maximize return, and excel in strategic business priorities.
He is a sought-after public speaker and contributor and has been a case study for success from Harvard Business School.
Everson is a Certified Public Accountant, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants. He graduated from St. Cloud State University with a B.S. in Accounting.
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