The Sprite Yard provides consumers with a real-time digital social networking community accessed via either mobile phones or PDAs. In China, consumers with WAP-enabled devices can join the Yard with a PIN number obtained at McDonald’s stores, Sprite’s launch partner. In the US, users access the portal by texting a specific number. Once online, users can register for tagnames, create profiles, share and post pictures and discussions and send SMS messages to individuals or groups.
The Sprite Yard will also feature downloadable content, from visual ringtones to mobisodes, which can be unlocked with a special PIN number found under the cap of a Sprite bottle.
According to Coca-Cola chiefs, the concept was based on the community insight that shows young consumers are increasingly seeking social networking opportunities. “The Yard really fits with Sprite’s brand personality, which is to be refreshingly new, so we wanted to use new technology to reach consumers,” said Darren Marshall, group marketing director, Coca-Cola Pacific.
“There’s a great link between what the brand stands for, media needs, and technology to connect and build the equity of the brand itself.”
Marshall noted while that branded consumer platforms have struggled to gain critical mass in the past, the new mobile element was expected to create a point of difference. “It may not be that we do it forever; the key is experimentation. We want to be on the leading edge, and there is always going to be broader reach with mobile as opposed to computers,” he said.
The Sprite Yard initiative coincides with Pepsi’s China rollout of its interactive Creative Challenge, which invites consumers to upload photos and vote for their favourites, with the winners to appear on Pepsi can packaging to be distributed across China.
