Brand Manager, Sprite Brand/Coca-Cola North America
Maurice Cooper understands the buying power of America’s youth better than the average marketing and promotions professional. As the brand manager for Sprite, Cooper has spent the past few months developing and producing campaigns to promote the company’s latest product, Sprite Green.
From throwing album release parties for Rick Ross to hosting large concerts with De La Soul, the Sprite Green brand has made its rounds in younger urban crowds of Chicago, L.A. and New York. Cooper says that in embracing the hip 18-35 crowd, his company can better market their naturally-sweetened, low calorie beverage.
“We believe that the novelty of this product really belongs to this multicultural youth consumer,” Cooper says. “We want for them to help us make Sprite Green the biggest brand that has hit the market in a long time.”
Part of Cooper’s blueprint for success involves reaching out to key cultural figures in each market set for release. Whether it was local sneaker boutiques or corporate movers and shakers, Sprite Green succeeded in creating a effective word of mouth campaign. “With these events our primary purpose has been to engage influencers and help them see the value in the brand [and] that they’d want to spread the word about in their local community,” he says.
After three and a half years with Coca-Cola, Cooper says he’s just proud to be with a winning team, pushing positive products for the consumer. “I work with the best marketers in the world on a company that owns the world’s most valuable brand,” he says. “It’s an honor and it’s definitely something that we don’t take lightly at all.”
– gavin philip godfrey
