The lemon-lime soft drink brand, 7up, recently took over a London bus with an ambitious urban knitting campaign in order to promote its new “7up Free,” the sugar free soft drink being positioned as a “Non-conformist” beverage. The campaign also coincides with a complete rebranding of the drink, which was formerly known as Diet 7up. The rebranding will be rolled out alongside the campaign by the end of the month, starting with the UK and Ireland. Media planning for the campaign in the UK was handled by OMD.
The “Feels Good To Be You” integrated campaign, which 7up's owner PepsiCo is planning to roll out in over 140 countries, aims to “Celebrate everyday people around the world who share such characteristics as non-conformity, originality, wit and authenticity.”
7up, recently took over a London bus with an ambitious urban knitting campaign
The campaign was created by the Brooklyn-based entertainment company, Mssngpeces, and comprises two TV spots (one of which can be seen below), as well as several digital films and a variety of experiential and social media executions. The first TV spot features “Urban Knitter,” Magda Sayeg, who transformed a run-down square in Santiago, Chile with colourful knitted patterns. The second spot will feature Marty Cooper, “A man who is “better known as Hombre McSteez, an animator and guerrilla cartoonist who brings quirky, imaginative characters to life in the real world.”
7up Free – Urban Knitter - #FeelsGoodToBeYou
The urban knitting campaign hit closer to home yesterday too, when Sayeg's decorated a London bus in one of her wooly designs, covering it from top to bottom in colourful wool, and sending it around London to disperse free samples of the sugar-free soft drink. Sayeg used a team of 12 fellow knitters from Austin, Texas to complete the design, with thousands of square feet of yarn that filled almost 20 suitcases. The design took them three days to complete, but the results (as seen below) were more than worth the effort!
Brad Jakeman, president of the PepsiCo global beverage group, said that “As global beverage consumption and consumer trends continue to evolve, 7up is an important asset,” in their portfolio, and a “Terrific choice for consumers who crave an original, refreshing alternative to keep them going.” The ambitious campaign, which will launch next week, and will continue into 2015, underlines Jakeman's assertion that “7up is an important, authentic trademark, with an immensely rich heritage and brand equity.”
The campaign also coincides with a complete rebranding of the drink, which was formerly known as Diet 7up
According to a company spokeswoman, the rebranding “Stays true to 7up’s witty, naturally confident character,” whilst building on the brand's “Authentic equity and history.” The redesign has been handled by the newly established PepsiCo Design & Innovation Centre, which the spokeswoman said managed to deliver “A brand proposition and visual identity that builds upon the brand’s authentic and iconic equities, while capturing the contemporary evolutions of style and design and staying true to 7up’s witty and lighthearted character and tonality.”
Behind The Scenes
Kristin Patrick, SVP and chief marketing officer at PepsiCo, added “7up believes that everyone is naturally unique and original,” and that they should be able “To bring out their originality to keep the world fresh and diverse.” She feels there's a correlation between the 7up product, the brand and its consumers, and believes that “From the exciting new visual identity, to the clear, crisp taste that can only be 7up, the brand is as unique as the people who drink it.”
Bulmers Cider are also promoting another Urban Knitting Campaign this week, check it out under the tag #LiveColourful.
