Fanta reimagines nostalgic ‘Wanta Fanta’ platform to reach Gen Z

Dive Brief:

Fanta, the fruit-flavored soft drink marketed by Coca-Cola, is calling back to the early aughts with a reprise of its “Wanta Fanta” global platform, per a press release. The platform and campaign encourage consumers to indulge in what they want amid the daily hustle.
Key to the campaign is the return of the “Wanta Fanta” anthem, featuring the tune’s original hook with a lyrical twist designed to cater to Gen Z. The effort also includes 30- and 60-second spots that will span premium connected TV (CTV) platforms.
The campaign additionally will include dynamic out-of-home and in-store creative, a TikTok challenge and creator tie-ups and an interactive mobile truck experience. The Wanta Mobile will tour key markets and dole out free samples and merchandise.

Dive Insight:

With the revival of its “Wanta Fanta” platform, Fanta joins a slew of other marketers reimagining iconic efforts of the past in an attempt to reach younger generations. The effort, tied to what is billed as an immersive multi-year and multi-platform brand experience, was strategized in hopes of inspiring Gen Z to find the balance between their needs and wants, per release details, a framing that could potentially sway a demographic that has often sought better-for-you options in recent years.

“Wanta Fanta is a shoutout to a generation craving more balance and time out for themselves,” said Ibrahim Khan, global vice president of marketing for Fanta at The Coca-Cola Company. “Walking through the supermarket, we realized the aisles were exploding with functionality. Most products focused only on the physical demands of a Gen Z lifestyle. So instead, we decided to speak to their spirit.”

At the center of the campaign is a digital film that features the remixed “Wanta Fanta” jingle, which still contains the tune’s recognizable hook but now also includes a lyrical twist meant to bring to life “the struggle between everyday needs and wants,” per release details. The spot, directed by Guy Shelmerdine, includes 30- and 60-second cuts that began airing across premium CTV platforms on April 25.

The campaign was created with WPP Open X and led by Majority with support from BCW, EssenceMediacom, Goat, Ogilvy, Subvrsive and VML. The effort launched in the U.S. this month and will extend to China, Japan, Korea and additional markets over the coming months. Fanta will release three culturally and regionally targeted versions of the campaign film, including one featuring K-pop band Riize, per details shared with Marketing Dive.

Fanta is promoting the campaign by enlisting a number of TikTok creators who will share content inspired by the “Wanta Fanta” anthem. Consumers on the social media pp can also participate in a “Tell us what you #Wanta?” challenge for the opportunity to win rewards like exclusive merchandise and product. As part of the campaign’s North American launch, a mobile truck experience will drive around key markets and play the revised jingle, and those who sing along could win free Fanta samples, merchandise and other prizes.

Others in the soft drink category have also brought fresh energy to past efforts lately. Earlier this month, Sprite, also marketed by Coca-Cola, revived its iconic “Obey Your Thirst” tagline with a campaign paying homage to its original 1994 effort in a similar bid to Gen Z. Coca-Cola competitor Pepsi last year also began a nostalgia-filled marketing blitz to celebrate the brand’s 125th anniversary.

The latest move from Fanta comes a year after the Coca-Cola marketer’s Fanta Orange beverage was the recipient of a product overhaul and accompanying integrated marketing campaign in North America, a likely ploy to boost its U.S. appeal. Elsewhere, the beverage giant in the U.K. rebranded its long-standing Lilt drink as Fanta Pineapple and Fanta Grapefruit.