Content area
Full Text
Coca-Cola arm sees vitality in five spots with hip-hop artists
Hip-hoppers get a bad rap in Coca-Cola Co.'s latest ad series for its Sprite brand.
The $15 million to $20 million five-part series from Burrell Communications Group, Chicago, continues the lemon-lime soft drink's "Obey your thirst" theme. But the new "What are you thinkin'?" spots confront issues of race and class tensions more directly than the fantasy-oriented "Voltron" and karate-laden "Five Deadly Women" campaigns, which tip-toed around diversity issues.
The new campaign broke May 29 and will run on cable and syndicated programming on the MTV, BET and WB networks through August.
"We wanted to revitalize the brand by doing something unique in a real-life perspective, in the sense that we can tap into something that people have experienced," said Yolanda Ball, associate brand manager, Sprite.
STEREOTYPES
The commercials star hip-hop artists Beanie Sigel of Rock-a-Fella Records, Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch of Rawkus Records and recording artist Lord Finesse. The series' action is set in a high-end jewelry store where the entertainers come to shop. As the rappers enter the store-sporting baggy jeans, backward-turned baseball caps and cool attitudes-the audience hears their thoughts, as well as those of the store personnel and...