A basketball reunion
In a major sports play, Sprite announced this week that it is reuniting with the NBA as the league’s official global soft drink partner. The deal resumes a relationship between The Coca-Cola Company and the NBA that began in 1986 and lasted nearly three decades.
Sprite will continue its global deal with Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, whom Iturralde described as “a contemporary and modern spirit in the world of basketball.”
The brand is also forging new partnerships across street culture, music, and food, including with Los Angeles skate collective Crenshaw Skate Club and food brands such as Takis, Tabasco, and McDonald’s, to promote pairing the beverage with spicy food.
Sprite is expanding its Limelight music platform, which has historically elevated rising artists before they reach mainstream recognition.
“Many people like Drake who’d been part of the brand are now big celebrities,” Iturralde said. “We are still looking to those fresh voices.”
Product innovation is another key part of the launch, with Sprite Chill and Sprite + Tea going global after strong performance in North America. The latter emerged from a consumer trend of people mixing Sprite and tea, Iturralde said.
Sprite is better known for its “Obey Your Thirst” platform, which began in the 1990s and relaunched in 2024. The campaign is not going anywhere, but “It’s That Fresh” builds on its legacy, said Iturralde.
“You need to have the respect of the people you serve,” he said, “and make sure any evolution doesn’t alienate the people who believe in the brand.”
