Sprite Quotient: Why is it only about music?

Recently YouTube was infected with a “viral” video of the Sprite Quotient campaign. The concept, coherent with the brand image, is about doing the same old things but doing them differently. The digital campaign is a series of videos where musicians create music (cover popular Hindi songs) without their instruments in different scenarios like using kitchen utensils in a kitchen; tools at a garage and a carpenter shop; using glasses and bottles. Basically a typical garage street band playing Bollywood music. The videos start with a “Spriteen” claiming to display his Sprite quotient followed by the ingenious musical that ends with the reassurance of being able to have Sprite Quotient.

Sprite has always associated itself with the young audience who are awed and inspired by the genius, scrappy and intelligent tricks the Sprite guy pulls off to impress a girl (let’s talk about Sprite ads being sexist some other time). Sprite has always made a huge impact in the Indian market. It has placed itself as a brand which bolsters simplicity rather than gimmicks like its competition brands. It has come a long way from the “Sprite Clear Hai” campaign to “University of Freshology” and every time it has made its impact. But then from where does this digital campaign come to the picture?

Okay, I’m not saying that creating music with nothing but junk is not noteworthy, it is awesome! But then dedicating a digital campaign only to music, which only connects with the brand in one dimension. The concept of exploring one’s Sprite Quotient has a lot of potential to connect with the youth, but why not a multi-dimensional campaign? Let’s say the “Spriteens”  are artists, dancers, athletes, stand up comedians, who when in a situation in which they are deprived of their everyday resources, still pull off what they do and they do it best. That would be Sprite Quotient. Let’s say a group of actors want to perform a play but the theater is always empty as no one turns up. They go to the streets, perform a rebelling nukkad naatak and are applauded by a huge crowd and it all ends up in a flash mob. Well this idea is not great too but I hope you get my point.

A multi-dimensional approach would have served to the concept in a better way justifying the brand image at the same time. Sprite international has shown us campaigns from all verticals like NBA, spray painting, RJ contests, film making etc. Some might argue that Indian audience is still not ready for such exposure and music is what solely churns our gears. But in the past few years India has seen many changes in its advertising and digital media spectrum. The audience has responded positively to anything new whether derivative of something international or indigenous and original. It’s time the brand (in India) realizes that and explores something new. What’s the whole point of making a viral video if it’s not worthy of being shared and circulated?

Sprite has shown us some fabulous ads in the past and it is one of my favorite brands to see an ad of. Let’s hope that Sprite Quotient evolves into something bigger. Till then you can still be happy because these videos come with a “skip ad” button.

Ad Junkee gives Sprite Quotient digital campaign , a generous, 3 lemons out of 5.