Energy drinks have long associated themselves with extreme sports, but in Egypt, there is no sport as extreme the challenges we face everyday. When launching Sting, Pepsi’s new affordable energy drink, we decided to associate ourselves with the extreme sport of ‘Everyday Egyptian Life’.
From unruly streets, constant power outages, hot tempers and even hotter temperatures, getting through the day is an Olympic sport. And we are champions!!
This was Sting’s opportunity! Energy drinks aren’t just for overcoming certain hassles. Sting is everyday energy for the everyday champion.
Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation
We shot the daily challenges Egyptians face as sporting events; complete with sport commentator, sports shooting style and even medal award ceremony and patriotic celebration song at the end. On ground, we amplified the importance and recognition of the "Everyday Heroes” by celebrating them in real life. We went on a tour of streets throughout Egypt with the iconic bouquet man from the TVCs, where we spotted the real unsung heroes who overcome the hurdles of everyday life. We rewarded these heroes like sports champions, in the same way as our TVCs, with music, medals, flowers and of course Sting.
Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results
Just a few months after launching in the Egyptian market, Sting not only became a household name, it also became the market leader with almost 55 % market share; expanding the energy drink market by a whopping 400 times. In fact, the brand sold more cans in 3 months than what the entire category had managed to sell in the previous 6 months!
Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service
As an affordable energy drink attempting to infiltrate a market of overpriced, imported alternatives, we had to change the perception of energy drinks from an ultra-occasional luxury to an everyday boost. The opportunity to do so was in acknowledging the reality of everyday life in Egypt and the unique hurdles people encounter on a daily basis, thus highlighting a need and daily occasion for the product.