Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola has debuted Sprite + Tea, a limited-time offering capitalizing on a viral TikTok trend that combines the lemon-lime soda with tea bags, according to a press release.
- The beverage, in stores through October, will be available in regular and zero sugar varieties.
- Coca-Cola is using limited-time launches of unique flavor combinations to drive sales and reinforce brand awareness for its household name sodas.
Dive Insight:
Sprite + Tea started as “an intern research project” that involved many rounds of brainstorming and consumer testing before it reached the correct flavor balance, texture and color, according to A.P. Chaney, the senior creative director of sparkling beverages at Coca-Cola.
“When it blew up on TikTok with millions of views, it was a gut check that we were on the right track,” Chaney said in a statement. “Because you never go wrong when you listen to consumers and tap into what they're doing by becoming part of their everyday.”
Sprite, which became the third-best selling soft drink by volume in the U.S. earlier this year, has shaken up its lineup in recent years with new flavor concoctions.
In the press release, Coca-Cola compared Sprite + Tea to Sprite Lymonade, which launched in 2019 and combined the flavor of Sprite with lemonade. A Strawberry variety followed in 2023, inspired by flavor combinations consumers made at Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.
Ahead of last summer, Coke debuted Sprite Chill, an iteration of the soda with a “tactile cooling effect” and cherry lime taste.
The soda giant’s strategy for Sprite mirrors that of its flagship soda, Coca-Cola, which has seen experimental flavor launches in recent years. These range from its Creations flavors that aimed to bottle the “outer space” and “dreams;” to a collaboration with Mondelēz International’s Oreo in 2024; to the introduction of its Orange Cream flavor this year.
As a soda with a fruity flavor profile, Sprite is facing increasing competition from PepsiCo's Starry, along with lemon-lime offerings from “better-for-you” soda brands like Poppi and Olipop.
As big names in the food and beverage industry seek out the next big trends, they are leaning on TikTok as a sounding board and new product idea generator. In 2022, Kraft Heinz launched Dip & Crunch sauce, which allowed consumers to dip a burger into sauce and potato chips, following a viral trend on the platform.
