Sunkist puts new squeeze on rivals

The campaign, which began in the middle of this month, marks a shift in marketing focus for the brand, from soft drinks to light juice drinks, after research showed that people associate Sunkist with orange juice.

The TV, print and outdoor offensive will promote brands such as Sunkist OJ, Sunkist GJ (Grape Juice), Sunkist CSD (carbonated soft drinks) and Hotfill (a high juice content beverage).

The push - which included repackaging beverages in new bottles - marks the first significant spend for the brand in two years as the company, which relaunched its flagship Mr Juicy brand in May, is looking to expand the local juice market.

Jojo Poon, general manager of Citrus Growers International, a division of the retail and manufacturing group, said the blitz would reinforce Sunkist's recognised platform of 'California sunshine'.

The 30-second TVC features the taglines, 'With Sunkist OJ, you will enjoy California sunshine anywhere', and 'With Sunkist, there will be California sunshine'. The TVCs will be backed up by mini-promotional functions attended by local celebrities such as singers Leo Koo and Bo Bo Chan.Alexis Chiu, account director at FCB Hong Kong, the agency behind the campaign, said the use of young attractive actors, indulging in a wide range of outdoor activities and filmed in a bright setting not only reinforced the brand image but also appealed to the teen market.

"The young couple roller-skating and the colourful visuals will send the message that sunshine makes you happy," he said.

Watsons has held the licensing agreement for Sunkist since 1954, which it claimed made it the longest-running licensing deal for Sunkist in any market. Sunkist OJ, GJ and CSD are targeted at teens and young adults between 15 and 29 years. The group's Hotfill juices are bought mainly by housewives. Poon said this year's spend would be "double" last year's outlay.