Coca-Cola Co. has extended Sprite portfolio in China, where it has already become the No. 1 soft drink and is going on gaining popularity. The new beverage Spritea has appeared on the country’s market late last month, and it is believed to have a big future outside China, too, as «there is certainly interest in Spritea as in many Asian markets both Sprite and green tea are very popular beverages,» said Coke’s Hong Kong-based spokesman Kenth Kaerhoeg.  The concept of the new drink was developed more than a year ago, AdAge reports.

Spritea was unveiled at a huge party featuring Sprite spokesperson musician, singer and actor Jay Chou, who was entertaining the audience with his «Avatar»-like 3-D performance. He also stars in an ad for the Sprite as a screenwriter who gets inspiration from drinking the sparkling lemon water. His muse sends him a huge wooden ship and a nice panda bear flying in the air.

«We had a lot of interesting playback from consumers who talked about how drinking Sprite helps clear their heads,» comments Adrey Low, head of account management at Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Shanghai. «That was a piece of interesting insight we leveraged on, this sudden refreshment that Sprite provides does not need to just be at the physical level, it could ladder up to something bigger and more mental.»

The company is targeting young consumers and wants to «enhance the momentum of Sprite» as well as to «further drive up brand love,» said Andres Kiger, the U.S. beverage giant’s senior marketing director, Greater China, based in Shanghai. The launch is supported by a massive promotional campaign. «We will introduce experiential Spritea sampling stations across China and will provide 15 million free drinks to domestic consumers, the largest new product sampling ever in the Coca-Cola China system,» Mr. Kiger said.