Sprite is a clear, lemon-lime flavored, non-caffeinated soft drink, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced to the United States in 1961. It came from Germany and first was called Fanta Klare Zitrone ("Clear Lemon Fanta"). The trademark was later reconceptionalized as Sprite. This was Coke's response to the popularity of 7 Up, which had begun as "Lithiated Lemon" in 1929. It comes in a primarily green and blue can or a green transparent bottle with a primarily green and blue label. Currently, Sprite is sold in over 190 countries. In the UK, it is recognised by its slogan "Get The Right Sprite".

In the 1980s, many years after Sprite's introduction, Coke pressured its large bottlers that distributed 7 Up to replace the competitor with its own product. In large part due to the strength of the Coca-Cola system of bottlers, Sprite finally took the market leader position in the lemon-lime soda category in 1989. It is called lemonade in Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Sprite consists of carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose (sugar), citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate (a preservative), and sodium benzoate (another preservative).

Sprite is also a choice of many people to drink when they are sick. Due to the high carbonates and bubbles, Sprite settles the stomach. It is also often the soft drink of choice for those who abstain from the intake of caffeine.

Recent reports to the FDA indicate that Sprite and other soft drinks may contain levels of benzene above the FDA's limit for drinking water. The source of the benzene appears to be from a reaction of ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate, ingredients common in many soft drinks. There has been a call, recently, for soft drink companies to address the toxic chemical reaction that takes place in many similar beverages ^*.

Over the years, Sprite advertising has used the portmanteau word "lymon," combining the words "lime" and "lemon," to describe the flavor of the drink. Recently, Sprite commercials have begun utilizing very quick and rapid way of presentation, also known as subliminal advertising. This method has been dubbed "sublymonal" in the commercials. These advertisements were launched in conjunction with the soda's logo being redesigned. In June 2006 the new sprite logo began to make its debut on Sprite bottles and cans. The "Sublymonal" campaign was also used as part of the Alternate Reality Game The Lost Experience.

Variations

• Diet Sprite Zero: This sugar-free drink originally began production in the United States as "Sugar Free Sprite" in 1974, then was renamed to "Diet Sprite" in 1983. In other countries, it was known as "Sprite Light". In September 2004, it was rebranded as "Diet Sprite Zero." Since then, it has become "Sprite Zero (Sprite Z)" in Argentina, Europe, Peru, Brazil, China, Australia, and New Zealand. "Diet" was dropped from the product's name, to become simply "Sprite Zero," when new logos debuted in June 2006. The "Zero" designation for low-calorie sodas from the Coca-Cola Company was first used on Diet Sprite Zero, before being used on the flagship Zero product, Coca-Cola Zero.
  • Mint flavored Sprite made its debut in Korea in 2002 as Sprite Blue, and as Sprite Ice in Canada and Sprite Ice Cube in Belgium in 2003. Sprite Ice Blue was introduced in Italy and China in 2004, and in Chile on the summer of 2005. There is also Sprite Lemon Lime Mint.
  • Sprite 3G This one was made to rival Red Bull; it had Glucose, caffeine from Green coffee beans and Guarana. The advert for it had a "new addition to the Sprite family", a Sprite baby. Glassworks (the company that do the adverts for the Sprite drink) had developed the next generation of the trademark Sprite goblin. "It keeps you sharp".
  • Sprite Dry Lemon (not available in U.S.)
    • Sprite Ice available in several countries including Belgium, Chile, and India
    • Sprite Lemon Lime Herb (not available in U.S.)
    • Hong Kong on the other hand introduced Sprite on Fire in 2003 - a ginger flavored Sprite with a burning sensation. This flavor also debuted in China in 2004. Available in some areas as Sprite Finger Lemon.
    • Sprite Remix: A family of differently-flavored variations of the original Sprite recipe.
      • Citrus Blend:
      • Grape:
      • Cherry Sprite
    • Hong Kong also introduced Sprite Super Lemon in 2003.

    See also

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    • Soft drink
    • Coca-Cola

    References

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    • FDA report on benzene in soft drinks.
    • FDA FAQs on benzene and soft drinks.

    External links

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    • Sprite official website
    • SoftDrinkGuide.com -> Sprite

    Coca-Cola brands | Lemon-lime sodas | Carbonated drinks | 1961 introductions

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