The #WhatTheFanta campaign by Coca-Cola and Fanta in South Africa introduces a limited-edition Apple Pie-flavoured Fanta that embodies playfulness and adventurousness, resonating with the brand’s core promise of injecting fun and surprise into everyday moments. By combining an unconventional, dessert-inspired taste with a vibrant purple hue and no added sugar, the campaign reinforces Fanta’s identity as a beverage that encourages bold, unexpected experiences while maintaining a light, enjoyable appeal for its consumers.
Strategically, the campaign leverages a mystery flavour concept to engage the audience through curiosity and interactive participation, transforming product discovery into a game-like experience. This insight into consumer desire for playful, communal experiences drove a multifaceted activation including digital clues, street-level treasure hunts, influencer collaborations, and multimedia promotions. The diversity of touchpoints—ranging from retail engagement to social media and instant-win prizes—was designed to motivate widespread trial and conversation among younger, digitally savvy South African consumers who value novel and immersive brand interactions. Overall, the campaign’s creative angle centers on experiential involvement and collective anticipation, effectively deepening emotional connection and social buzz around the Fanta brand while driving limited-time purchase urgency.
FORMAT#11 UNIQUE PERSONALITY PROPERTY — Highlights a unique feature, origin, or distinctive product identity.
The #WhatTheFanta campaign centers squarely on the unique, limited-edition “Apple Pie” flavor, spotlighting Fanta’s brand character of playfulness and surprise with its mystery. The campaign’s narrative and multi-channel activation provoke consumer curiosity through a guessing game, treasure hunts, and influencer engagement, all designed around the product’s distinctive identity—a dessert-inspired taste with an unusual color. There’s no classic story arc, direct problem-solution framing, or comparison, but instead a celebration of the product’s one-of-a-kind personality and experiential reveal.
ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
1. Pepsi – Market Positioning
Pepsi positions itself as a bold, youthful alternative to Coca-Cola with a strong emphasis on pop culture, music, and sports partnerships. It targets adventurous consumers looking for vibrant, refreshing flavours, often leveraging high-profile endorsements and innovative marketing campaigns to engage a trend-conscious audience in the non-alcoholic drink sector.
2. Sparletta (The Coca-Cola Company) – Market Positioning
Sparletta is a locally beloved South African brand known for its unique, fruit-flavored soft drinks that cater to nostalgic tastes. It differentiates through distinct regional flavours and affordable pricing, appealing to consumers valuing heritage, fun, and familiarity within the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage market.
3. Appletiser (The Coca-Cola Company) – Market Positioning
Appletiser markets itself as a premium sparkling fruit juice with a natural, refreshing taste and no added sugars. It targets health-conscious consumers seeking sophisticated, fruit-based beverage alternatives that combine quality ingredients with an upscale, modern brand image in the non-alcoholic category.
4. Twist Cola – Market Positioning
Twist Cola positions itself as an affordable, no-frills cola brand catering primarily to price-sensitive customers in South Africa. It emphasizes value for money while maintaining a classic cola flavour profile, appealing to consumers who prioritize budget-friendly options without sacrificing taste.
5. Monster Energy – Market Positioning
Although primarily an energy drink, Monster competes in the broader non-alcoholic drinks market by targeting young, active consumers with an edgy, adrenaline-fueled brand persona. It differentiates through high-caffeine content, extreme sports sponsorships, and a rebellious image encouraging daring lifestyles beyond traditional soft drink consumption.
Q: What is #WhatTheFanta about?
A: #WhatTheFanta is a 2024 campaign by Coca-Cola and Fanta in South Africa that revealed Apple Pie as the mystery limited-edition flavour. The campaign engaged consumers through months of guesswork, sip-testing, and interactive fun, culminating in the flavour’s unveiling. It combined a dessert-inspired taste with a vibrant purple hue and no added sugar, aiming to inject playfulness and surprise into everyday moments. The campaign featured a multi-channel approach including treasure hunts, influencer collaborations, digital promotions, TV commercials, and instant-win prizes, creating a lively and immersive experience for Fanta fans across the country.
Q: What creative device does #WhatTheFanta use?
A: The #WhatTheFanta campaign employs Clapboard’s FORMAT#11 UNIQUE PERSONALITY PROPERTY, which highlights a distinctive product identity as its central creative device. This format focuses on the unique Apple Pie flavour, combining an unconventional dessert-inspired taste with an unusual purple colour. The campaign’s narrative revolves around the mystery and playful reveal of this one-of-a-kind flavour, using interactive elements like treasure hunts and influencer engagement to provoke curiosity. Rather than a traditional story arc, the campaign celebrates the product’s singular personality and experiential unveiling.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for #WhatTheFanta?
A: The campaign proposition for #WhatTheFanta positions Fanta as a brand that embodies playfulness and adventurousness by introducing a limited-edition Apple Pie flavour that surprises and delights consumers. Targeting younger, digitally savvy South African consumers, the campaign leverages a mystery flavour concept to encourage curiosity, communal participation, and bold, unexpected experiences. This approach reinforces Fanta’s identity as a vibrant, fun beverage that injects excitement into everyday moments while maintaining a light, no added sugar appeal within the non-alcoholic drinks category.
Q: How does #WhatTheFanta rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: The #WhatTheFanta campaign holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 64/100. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s global ad archive. The rating indicates the campaign’s effectiveness in engaging its audience through a distinctive flavour reveal and multi-channel activation while maintaining alignment with Fanta’s brand character.
Q: Who are the competitors in Coca-Cola's category?
A: Coca-Cola’s key competitors in the South African non-alcoholic drinks market include Pepsi, which positions itself as a bold, youthful alternative with strong ties to pop culture, music, and sports partnerships targeting adventurous consumers. Sparletta offers unique, fruit-flavoured soft drinks with a nostalgic, regional appeal at affordable prices. Appletiser markets a premium sparkling fruit juice with no added sugars aimed at health-conscious consumers seeking sophistication. Twist Cola focuses on affordability and classic cola taste for price-sensitive buyers. Monster Energy competes by targeting young, active consumers with an edgy, adrenaline-fueled brand persona beyond traditional soft drinks.
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