Media specialist Starcom, sought an innovative advertising medium to launch Coca-Cola Light with Lemon flavour, an intriguing diet drink from Coca Cola Pty Ltd. Starcom selected strategically situated billboards and branded bus shelters offered by wholly South African owned outdoor advertising media owner, Primedia Outdoor.

“The campaign objectives were to launch Coca-Cola light with Lemon flavour, positioning it as a great tasting, fresh new extension of the original brand Coca-Cola light, increase Coke Light brand awareness and generate appeal for the brand and diet category.

Targeting young adults in the LSM 7 – 10 groups aged between 25 and 34 demanded we launch with a big media idea providing high visibility and impact. We elected to use a series of outdoor advertising opportunities including billboards and bus shelters,” comments Fenya Popof, Media Strategist, Starcom (fenja does not work here anymore)

In the selection, Starcom included Primedia Outdoor Spectacular Billboards on busy highways and national roads and Bus shelters located on suburban roads targeting top end consumers.

“AC Nielsen research revealed a substantial growth in ‘diet’ Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs) making it the fastest growing industry segment. Volumes are up by 12.8 % versus more traditional sugar CSDs that are up 5.7%. This flavour dispels negative perceptions surrounding the taste of ‘diet’ drinks, opening the segment to the recruitment of new users,” reiterates Popof.

The global growth of Coke Light has been largely driven by the ‘Lemon’ flavoured variant, a trend South Africa will follow in October 2004 as Coke Light with lemon flavour launches. The aim of the brand extension is two-fold, to increase consumption amongst current users and recruit new consumers who are not currently drinking Coke light due to the perceived ‘negative’ taste. “We want them to re-appraise the brand!” states Popof.

The innovative media executions stem from the brand proposition of ‘Lemon flavour in every bubble!’ The campaign is being executed as a ‘reveal and disclose’ concept across all the billboards. For the first week the creative is hidden in yellow bubble wrap to peak curiosity and raise awareness. At the end of the first week, the billboards are unwrapped to expose the creative underneath.

Coinciding with the revealing of the billboard communication, commuters will be exposed to dramatic new ads on the selected bus shelters, featuring large lemon wedges in reflective vinyl for high night time visibility placed on top of the shelters to emphasise the message.

“We wanted a medium that would provide high visibility, predominance and maximum exposure, making outdoor an obvious solution! I am thrilled with this exceptional use of billboards and bus shelters, and know the touch of mystery, coupled with the co-ordinated timing of each segment will create a buzz enhancing the impact of the billboards and shelters,” states Popof

“Outdoor is a unique medium that lends itself to versatile advertising and alternative creative execution able to create sought after word-of-mouth, high brand awareness and retention. Used effectively outdoor can open up a whole world of interactive, creative opportunities. This use of the pre-launch phase was the ultimate in creating a mystery around a campaign. The Outdoor creative messages need to be challenged.

Clients need to have more fun with Outdoor and arose its instrinsics,” says Dashni Naidu Marketing Director, Primedia Outdoor.

http://www.primediaoutdoor