Sprite has launched a new global platform, “Never Stop Refreshing the Game,” according to details shared with Marketing Dive. The effort builds on the Coca-Cola brand’s return as the official soft drink partner of the NBA following a ten year absence and arrives after its parent company’s push around the World Cup that drove engagement and sales.
“Coca-Cola and FIFA are the North Star and exactly the ambition that we have for Sprite and basketball,” said Oana Vlad, global brand vice president of Sprite.
Central to the new platform is three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, who joins the brand’s basketball roster alongside Olympic gold medalist and fellow NBA superstar Anthony Edwards. The latter has been a focus of Sprite’s advertising since the brand revived its iconic “Obey Your Thirst” tagline in 2024. While the reserved Jokić and brash Edwards have very different styles on and off the court, they are united by several factors.
“They're two of the most talented players in the game. They're uniquely original and absolutely comfortable in being who they are, and that's the type of partner and personality that Sprite loves to celebrate. They're both game changers. They've moved the game forward, and the culture of the game,” Vlad said.
Jokić and Edwards feature in the brand’s global campaign, which will roll out worldwide starting now and into 2027, spanning North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Africa, Eurasia and Middle East, and India and Southwest Asia. Along with traditional mass media, the campaign will include social, digital, packaging and experiential elements.
Press materials call out the substantial international reach of the Serbian Jokić that ties to both the global ambitions of the brand and the league. Jokić and the Denver Nuggets will face the Indiana Pacers at the NBA Mexico City Game on Nov. 7, and the league has games scheduled in Paris and Manchester, England, in early 2027.
“Basketball is the second most popular sport in the world, but it's also a community where culture is shaped in music and in fashion, and that's really consistent with Sprite,” Vlad said. “If we're going to be in this space, we need to make it better. We need to help move it forward and hopefully bring experiences, especially for fans, that they wouldn't have access to otherwise.”
Hyper-local, at scale
The partnership includes limited-edition NBA and signature player cans with QR codes that unlock VIP tickets, official Wilson game balls and exclusive gear through interactive digital games, as well as in-game integrations with “NBA 2K” and game-day food delivery deals. Plus, the brand will run a “Hoops of Refreshment” effort that will refurbish community courts.
“What will stand out about this campaign will be the influencer and the live components, but of course, you should expect the greatness that you see in mass media from Sprite, as well as on packaging, because we know packaging remains our most important touch point with consumers,” Vlad said.
Sprite’s push behind local creators and on-package QR codes is in line with the Coca-Cola masterbrand’s campaign around the World Cup that sought to hyper-personalize engagement with consumers at the local level.
Sprite plans to take a similar approach to its basketball work, balancing global offerings with local amplification that is more relevant to consumers. Coke’s World Cup effort helped it collect more than 25 million first-party data points and generated more than 9 billion views through digital and social media activations.
“First-party data collection is important as we can re-engage fans, offer them the experiences that they look for and build more loyal and intimate relationships with consumers,” Vlad said.
