Dive Brief:

• Coca-Cola's Sprite brand this summer will host a livestreamed concert series called "Live From The Label," per a company blog post. Specially marked 20-ounce bottles feature QR codes that unlock access to the concerts, along with replays and merchandise giveaways.
• The "Stage 1" bottle serves as a ticket to a virtual concert featuring Atlanta rapper Latto on July 29; "Stage 2" features West Coast rapper Saweetie on Aug. 12; and a third concert will be announced later this summer. Opening acts will be selected by headliners from a shortlist from the Sprite Way social platform.
• "Live From The Label" is the latest iteration of the "Thirst for Yours" platform that launched in 2019 and continues the brand's 35-year connection to hip-hop culture. The concert series will be promoted with a "robust" social media program, along with outdoor, retail, streaming audio and local radio elements.

Dive Insight:

Sprite's "Live From The Label" concert series taps into continued interest in livestreamed events that surged in popularity during the pandemic. Even as vaccines roll out and music venues reopen, in-person concerts — where brands like Sprite engage with consumers — are not fully up to speed. In addition, the livestreamed concerts are available to a wider range of consumers, Aaliyah Shafiq Ely, North America sparkling flavors category and brand lead at Coca-Cola, told Marketing Dive.

"We wanted to be sure that wherever you are located...you can still enjoy it. It's open to everyone, and they can do that in the comfort and safety of their home, or wherever they choose to tune in to the livestream concert," she said.

The effort also uses QR codes, a marketing tactic that similarly found renewed interest during the pandemic as consumers looked for contactless ways to engage with companies and brands. The QR code streamlines the campaign execution for Sprite, allowing the brand to collect first-party data that is poised to remain important despite Google's latest privacy move.

In addition to featuring two young female rap stars, "Live From The Label" concerts will source their opening acts from Sprite Way, an online community and platform that the brand launched in 2019. This kind of authentic engagement with Sprite drinkers and hip-hop fans can deepen the brand's connection to hip-hop culture, which began in 1986 and continued through its long-running "Obey Your Thirst" campaign. The "Thirst For Yours" platform was designed to meet the changing tastes of younger consumers, a focus that continues with this latest effort.

"It's really an evolution of our continued partnership with hip-hop as it has evolved, so going from solely focused on music to expanding to still include music, obviously, but also fashion, design and merchandising," Shafiq Ely said. "As hip-hop has evolves, Sprite has evolved and continued that partnership."