Hey Young World,

In this new series, we dissect classic ads that inspire us to this day. You can also follow this seris via our Instagram account, @WeAre150.

Obey Your Thirst

Where previous Sprite campaigns were meant to convey a party image, the 1995 campaign behind this commercial - featuring Grand Puba and Large Professor - leaned into the unapologetic tone of Hip Hop. The commercial (as well as others that were part of the same campaign), shot with handheld video cameras and made with a look and feel reminiscent of freestyle rap, also playfully made fun of traditional marketing.

Darryl Cobbin - the marketer behind the campaign - understood the Hip Hip-influenced consumer and why Grand Puba and Large Professor - both not MTV friendly mainstream artists - were more astute choices than more popular rappers at that time. As iconic figures in the underground of Hip Hop culture, they were infinitely authentic and, because of that, made Sprite appear cool and credible.

One Love,

Marius | 1520