Coca-Cola has announced that its Lilt soft drink is being rebranded nearly 50 years after it was launched.
From today, it will be known as Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit. However, the company stressed that the drink’s taste and ingredients have not been changed.
Launched in 1975, Lilt became a household name in the UK partly because of its advertising based around the strapline “totally tropical taste”. However, it was only ever sold in a handful of countries other than the UK, including Ireland, Gibraltar and the Seychelles.
Coca-Cola stated that the new Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit 330ml cans, 500ml and two-litre bottles were now being rolled out across the UK.
The change will be supported by social media and out-of-home advertising and PR and influencer activity.
Martin Attock, VP of Commercial Development at Coca-Cola Europacifc Partners GB, commented: “Our main priority with this announcement is to reassure Lilt’s loyal fan base that absolutely nothing has changed when it comes to the iconic taste of the drink they know and love. It’s still bursting with tangy tropical flavours. It’s just got itself a new name.
“Already the No.2 tropical soft drink in GB worth £15m and growing by 5% over the last year, we’re confident that its addition to the Fanta lineup will help to drive future growth.”
NAM Implications:
- A 50-year test should do it!
- Any bets on consumers claiming it tastes different?
