Sponsors

Taxi

Honourable Mention Canadian TireFrescaMiniTelusWestJet

Fresca

The soft drink category has of some of the world’s biggest, most established brands built by decades of support and millions of dollars in investment. Fresca was an outsider, a 35-year-old soft drink that had always been a niche player. Even its most loyal users didn’t know how to describe its taste, which is made from a combination of grapefruit and other citruses. This proved to be an ideal strategic springboard to distinguish the brand from its competition.

There were several goals: Reinforce current and lapsed users’ affection for the brand; increase awareness and trial among non-users; and finally, convince retailers to stock the brand, as historically it had had limited distribution, which maked it very difficult to increase its share.

The soft drink category usually relies heavily on TV, but to avoid the big-brand treatment, Taxi chose to lead with a heavy radio buy supported with out-of-home activity. The strategy was to parody brand messages that lack originality by highlighting Fresca’s distinctiveness as both a product and a brand with taglines such as “10 out of 10 Fresca lovers love Fresca.” Three radio ads also poked fun at the long-established conventions of the soft drink category and the OOH mocked the overused phrases and clichés of the big-budget campaigns.

The campaign is the beginning of a longer-term effort, but there has already been an increased shelf presence.

Radio


Jingles

Jocks

Joggers

Out Of Home


Lovers

Soft Drink

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