Insight
When stuck in a moment of intense heat, you can always sing to cool down.
Generation Z often experience higher levels of stress and struggle to express true feelings in the offline world.
Also recognised for having a unique sense of humour, Gen Zers rely on music to express themselves. On TikTok, for common struggles faced by youth, there is usually a witty song about it.
Idea
Putting into lyrics what is hidden in the hearts of Generation Z.
Sprite listened to Generation Z and mapped out some of the most feared situations in their social lives and wrote songs about it.
Six humorous films were created, featuring awkward moments, different music styles and lyrics written on Sprite cans.
80s rock, post-punk, pop salsa, eurodance and bossa nova are some of the music styles that inspired these soundtracks, matching Generation Z’s trend to dive into musical nostalgia.
The awkward moments spotlighted in the six films came from extensive research, including listening to the target audience and identifying the most common social moments they struggle to deal with.
Since Generation Z tend to be skeptical about traditional advertising, Sprite isn’t presented as a solution. It is instead presented as a tool, inviting audiences to embrace the fact that heat happens and always will, but cool heads prevail.
Stickers. But in real life.
Stickers are a staple in today’s digital communication, expressing in a witty way thoughts and feelings not easy to articulate. That’s why Sprite also placed the lyrics on its cans, bottles and packshots, creating stickers to use in real world.
Heat of the moment.
Since challenging moments happen everywhere, Sprite committed to being out there, displaying ironic messages on contextualised media. Because saying the unsaid truth is also a smart way to cool down.
Impact
Empowering Generation Z to express themselves.
This movement has sparked conversations in many countries, particularly in Latin America, helping people keep everything under control in the face of social awkwardness. All featured songs were dropped on TikTok, which creators have been using to share their personal experiences of overcoming daily tensions to millions of followers.
AKQA is a design and innovation company that employs over 6,500 professionals across 20 countries. Named Digital Agency Global Network of the Year in Campaign’s 2023 Global Agency of the Year Awards, AKQA was also awarded the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Digital Craft in 2023, and the Grand Prix for Design in 2021. In 2023, AKQA was recognised as a winner in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards. AKQA also won Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas in 2021, and 2022 and led Gartner’s research into global marketing agencies in 2021.