Sprite's "Lost Experience" tapped into a major source of consumer interest-- ABC's hit series, "Lost." Sprite created an alternate reality game (ARG) that provided viewers with a way to further their pursuit of the show's mystery while inadvertently engaging in a Sprite-branded website.

The first element of the campaign was a faux-commercial that was aired during "Lost" in which the Syblymonal.com URL was leaked.

The URL led viewers to a puzzle that was related solely to the show. The only time the Sprite brand was mentioned at this time was in the Syblymonal.com URL itself.

The ARG then transitioned to a scavenger hunt with DJ podcasts, videos and hidden memos within Syblymonal.com. Offline, there were codes hidden in print ads in Entertainment Weekly and People Magazine that the ARG players could use to unlock even more online content.

As fan excitement about the ARG grew, so did Sprite's web traffic (up 400 percent) and average visit time (up 275 percent). In total, more than 500,000 of the hidden codes were entered into the site. Sprite was able to incorporate its brand into something that people were already talking about: "Lost." By providing viewers with something valuable -- information about the characters and the show -- they were able to drive them to the Sprite website.

Credit Information
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Client: Coca-Cola North America
Agency: AKQA
Budget: Less than $150,000, excluding media
Date of campaign: May to September 2006
Excerpted from WOMMA's Case Studies Library.